The Steady Storm
by stelenaliveson
Summary: Stelena, AU, human. After breaking up with her boyfriend, Elena Gilbert doesn't see a point in looking for love anymore... Until someone new appears in her life.
1. Chapter 1

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Elena's eyes open slowly. "5:30. Great." She wishes that she could just stay in bed, but she knows she can't miss another day of school. Elena takes her phone off her dresser and unlocks it, turning off the alarm. She gets off her bed and heads straight for her closet, ready to pick out her outfit for school. She immediately stops when she sees her cheerleading uniform. Elena can't remember the last time she wore it. Sometimes she missed it, but she just didn't see the point in doing something that she didn't love anymore- not like she used to, anyway. She then brushes her teeth, puts on her makeup, and heads downstairs. After hearing her stomach growl, she searches her kitchen for something to eat. Elena checks a drawer, hoping to find something to end her hunger. All she can find are protein bars, which makes her roll her eyes. Ever since her sister had been getting in shape, her family has had to get rid of any food that could affect her cravings. She almost loses hope until she finds a double chocolate granola bar. She smiles widely while eating it, until she checks the time on her phone. "Shit." Bonnie has probably been waiting for her, and Elena definitely didn't want to get on her bad side this early in the morning. She grabs her backpack and runs out of the door. As she runs down her steps, she realizes that she forgot her keys. Elena looks at Bonnie apologetically, "I'll be just one sec, I promise!" Bonnie honks her horn. "Move it, Gilbert!"

Elena runs towards the car after taking her keys off her counter and sits in the passenger seat, sighing. "Elena, what the hell happened? Did you sleep through your alarm again?" Bonnie fixes her mirror before continuing to drive. Elena laughs to herself, "No, not today. Just lost track of time, I guess." At a red light, Bonnie turns towards Elena with a serious face. "Hey, we never really got to talk about what happened." _Here we go_. "Bonnie, don't worry about it. Maybe you should worry about the road instead." They both flinch when the car behind them honks. Bonnie speeds up as she continues to talk, "Well, how are you?" Elena tells her what she's been trying to tell herself. "I'm fine." She's hoping Bonnie will just give up, but of course she doesn't. "Elena-"

Elena rolls her eyes, "B, I'm fine." Bonnie laughs in disbelief. "Elena! That's what people _always_ say. You know you can talk to me whenever, right?" Elena knows Bonnie means well, but she is just not ready to talk about everything yet. Now she really wishes she could have stayed in bed. Elena puts her seat back a bit so she could relax. "Of course, Bonnie. But really, I'm feeling better, I promise. I'd tell you if I felt any different." She wasn't completely lying. In all honesty, Elena had no idea how to feel. Nonetheless, she didn't like keeping things from her best friend. Bonnie sighs in relief, "Good. I know it must have been hard to experience that… And I just wanted to say-" Elena quickly raises herself up. "Bonnie, I really appreciate everything you're trying to do, but I'm not in the mood to have a 'heart to heart' right now." She didn't mean for it to come out rude, and luckily Bonnie didn't take it that way. Instead of asking more questions, Bonnie just nods. "You're right. I'm sorry for pushing you. Are you ready for your first official day back?" Elena stares out of her window. "As ready as I'll ever be."

They pull into the school parking lot, and unbuckle their seat belts. While heading into school, Rebekah Mikaelson, one of the most popular girls at Mystic Falls High School, bumps into Elena. She doesn't know what to say except, "Oh, sorry!" Rebekah leans in closer to Elena, making her nervous. "You should be." Rebekah and her minions laugh as they walk away. When Rebekah is finally out of sight, Bonnie gives Elena an angry look. " _What did I do now_?" Elena thought to herself. "You did nothing wrong. Why did you apologize? That was all Rebekah's fault!" Instead of getting into an argument, Elena decided to keep walking. "Do you think she cares about anything other than herself?" This really has Bonnie baffled, "Maybe her dog?" They both start to laugh as Elena puts her arm through Bonnie's. "Let's get to first period before we end up late again." Right as they start walking, they're interrupted by an announcement on the PA from the principal. "Elena Gilbert, please come to the main office. Elena Gilbert, come to the main office." Elena doesn't understand. What could she have done? Sure, she missed a couple of classes, but her mom told the school that she had been sick. Bonnie removes her arm and rubs Elena's shoulder. "Don't worry, Gilbert. I'll tell Mrs. Miller where you're at. Just let me know what happens!" Bonnie lifts her eyebrows as she smirks. Elena rolls her eyes, "Please write down the notes for me." Bonnie's eyes widened, "You haven't heard?" Elena shakes her head no. "She got a divorce. She hasn't really been the same lately. Very cranky, but she hasn't given us any notes or homework which is cool. Doesn't mean she still isn't a bitch." Elena hasn't always liked Mrs. Miller, but she has to admit that she feels bad for her. She is about to say how Bonnie should go easy on her when the bell rings. "I should go. See you soon, B." Bonnie waves as she walks away, "Bye!"

Elena walks into the main office, taking a seat next to the door. Principal Stevens comes outside of his office and smiles at Elena. "Ms. Gilbert, it's nice to officially meet you." He extends his hand out towards her and she accepts it with a firm handshake. If there's one thing her father taught her, it's that a handshake can mean more than you think. Elena smiles, "Same to you, Principal Stevens." Her principal leads her to his office, telling her to have a seat. "You're probably wondering why you're in here. You're not in trouble-" Elena nods, "That's good to hear." Principal Stevens adjusts himself in his seat as he wipes his palms. Is he _nervous_? She couldn't think of any reason for him to be. "Yes, it is… But I did call you in because I heard what has happened recently, and I just wanted to know if there is anything we could do to help you?" This cannot be happening. Elena's eyes widen, "Oh. Um, if you don't mind me asking, who did you hear this from?" Noticing that she is upset, he tries to lighten the situation. "People that care about you very much." Elena scoffs, "If they really cared about me, then they'd know how much I appreciate my privacy. I'm fine, Principal Stevens, but thank you for your concern. I should really get back to class." She stands up, causing him to stand up too. "Well, if you ever need to talk to someone, we have counselors here that can help!" This is the last thing she wanted to hear. It made her think about everything she's been trying to avoid. Did she really need help? No, she was strong enough to handle it on her own. "Yes I know. Thank you, sir." Principal Stevens sighs, probably thankful that he hasn't offended her too much. "Of course. Have a good day, Ms. Gilbert. I'll have Mrs. Davis write you a pass."

Elena walks towards Mrs. Davis with a smile. Mrs. Davis has to be one of the nicest faculty members at the school. "Thank you." She takes the pass and heads to class. When Elena finally arrives, she gently knocks on the door. Mrs. Miller opens it for her, and Elena quickly finds her seat. "Nice for you to join us, Elena." Elena starts to tense up, "I'm sorry, Mrs. Miller. I was speaking to Principal Stevens." The teacher walks towards Elena, and takes the pass that excuses her tardiness. "So I was told." Elena was starting to think that maybe Bonnie was right about Mrs. Miller after all. Just because you're having a hard time doesn't mean you have the right to treat others so rudely. Everyone is fighting their own battles, after all. Elena is taken away from her own thoughts when her teacher speaks to her. "Also, it's _Ms. Fey_ now." Dammit. I forgot about the divorce. "Right. Sorry." Ms. Fey walks around the room, surveying her students. "Today, we are going to start reading  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Have any of you read the book before?" Two students raise their hands, Bonnie being one of them. "Have any of you seen the original movie?" Bonnie raises her hand again. "Okay. How about the newest version?" About ten students raise their hands, Elena and Bonnie included.

Elena liked it for the most part. She's always sort have been a hopeless romantic, not that she'd let others know. Bonnie mostly just saw it for Leonardo DiCaprio. She liked the book and the original film much more. Ms. Fey sighs, "Thought so. Well, most of you know one of the main ideas of the novel- love." Bonnie scoffs as she whispers to herself, "Love my _ass_." Ms. Fey walks towards Bonnie's seat. "I'm sorry. Did you say something, Ms. Bennett?" Bonnie has always managed to keep her cool when it came to situations like this, unlike Elena. "Oh, nothing. I was just thinking out loud." Ms. Fey starts to nod, making Elena nervous for Bonnie. "I noticed that you were one of the only people to raise your hand to all three of my questions." Bonnie nods, "I did." Ms. Fey walks back towards her desk, grabbing her coffee. "So? What are your thoughts?" Bonnie leans back in her chair, seemingly unaffected by Ms. Fey's intimidating nature. "As much as I would like to answer your question, Mrs. Miller-" Big mistake. Ms. Fey start to give her an upsetting look, to which Bonnie replies, "I mean, Ms. Fey, I'd hate to spoil any of the story for those who haven't seen it. I mean, what kind of classmate would I be?" Some students start to laugh, including Elena until Ms. Fey gives her a death stare. But Ms. Fey turns right back towards Bonnie, "Give it a shot anyway, Ms. Bennett. I'm sure half of the class won't even read the book unless you count spark notes. And those who would, probably already have. So please, tell us what you think." Now Bonnie looks uneasy. When it comes to giving her opinion, Bonnie Bennett usually gives it, whether you want to hear it or not. But the more Ms. Fey questions her, the more she feels like this is a trap. Bonnie is a good student, a great one actually, but when it comes to authority… Let's just say that it's a good thing she has straight A's. "I don't know." Ms. Fey really shouldn't be smiling so widely at the fact that Bonnie has practically given up the fight. She's an _adult_. Now Elena really doesn't feel bad for her. "I'd really like to hear what you have to say."

Bonnie pauses for a minute to decide what she should say. She breathes in, and says, "I hated it." Ms. Fey seems as if she's taken aback. "And why is that?" Bonnie starts to get visibly agitated. "It was so unfair! Gatsby was a _good_ guy. I mean, sure… He had his flaws. We all do. But he shouldn't have gotten the ending that he did. He didn't deserve it." Ms. Fey nods, but Bonnie doesn't even notice, she's too busy focusing on the clock. She smiles to herself as she says, "Also, Daisy's a real-" The bell rings, interrupting Bonnie from saying probably one of the many bad words Elena has heard since being Bonnie's friend. The students start to laugh as Bonnie runs out of the room before she can get in trouble. Elena runs after her, out of breath when she finally catches up. "B, you were literally saved by the bell." Bonnie stops Elena from moving any further by grabbing her shoulders. "Elena, I'm coming to give you some advice. Always remember that timing is everything." They laugh to themselves as they walk towards their lockers.


	2. Chapter 2

After class, it's time to eat. Elena and Bonnie find their usual table and sit down. Bonnie almost gags when she looks at Elena's lunch. "Elena, what on earth is on your plate?" She looks down, asking herself the same question. "I think it's chicken?" Bonnie opens her water, obviously disgusted by Elena's choice. "See, this is one of the reasons I'm a vegetarian. You can't even tell what you're eating anymore." This really makes Elena laugh. "B, you became a vegetarian two days ago!" Bonnie puts her hand on her heart as if she's actually offended. "So?" Elena ignores her terrible acting by shaking her head, "Talk to me in a few months. I have a feeling I'll walk into your house and see you eating a rack of ribs." Bonnie now sticks her hand in the air, letting Elena she should stop talking. "Please, don't talk about them. I miss ribs so much." Elena smiles until she sees Principal Stevens looking at her from across the quad. Usually, she tried avoiding confrontation as much as possible, but this is something that she couldn't hold in any longer.

"Hey, you know what's weird?" Bonnie shakes her head no. _Just stay calm, Elena_. "The principal asked me how I'm feeling lately." Bonnie immediately stops eating, avoiding eye contact with Elena as much as possible. "Oh, that's nice, I guess. I think he just started doing that with all the students." _Is she really lying to me?_ "I think someone told him about what happened with Ellie. Do you think anyone mentioned anything?" Bonnie stares at her food again, pretending to find the best piece of lettuce in her salad. "Bonnie!"This makes her lift up her head with a terrified expression. "Please don't be mad at me." Elena laughs in disbelief. "You know how I didn't want other people knowing what happened." Elena puts her hand on her forehead. _Why can't this day just be over?_ "I know, Elena. But I also know that if I didn't mention anything, that could mean something might go wrong." _Was Bonnie being a good friend? Yes. But was I ready to admit that something was actually wrong? No way_. "I'm sorry, Elena. It's just your mom said-" If you thought Elena was angry before, she is livid now. "My mom? You talked to her about this?" Bonnie is practically Elena's sister. She's known her since they were in diapers. But that doesn't mean Bonnie has the right to keep something like this from her, right? Unless she knew how Elena would react. "She talked to me. She's worried about you, Elena. And so am I, honestly."

"So what do you want me to do about it? See a shrink or something?" Elena was being sarcastic, but from the looks of it, Bonnie was actually considering it. "If that's what you need, then yeah." Elena scoffed, "What I need, is for everyone to listen to me when I say I don't need anyone's help." Bonnie stands up. "I'm sorry that I'm trying to look out for you! I just don't want to find out that I could have done something to help. Especially if you weren't telling me something when you needed to." Elena gets up too. "Well good news, I don't." Bonnie is about to walk away when she tells Elena one last thing, "That's just great. Let me know when you're finally ready to stop shutting me out." Elena looks around, hoping no one noticed their fight. Unfortunately, Rebekah and her friends stare at Elena, smirking to themselves. She starts to walk away, embarrassed by the whole situation. Elena finds herself at the main office again, this time to see Mrs. Davis. "Excuse me. I'm not feeling very well. Can I call my mom and have her pick me up?" Her concern made Elena feel bad for lying, but what else could she do? Ignore Bonnie for the whole day? She already had to avoid Rebekah on a daily basis, she didn't want to do that with her best friend too. "Of course, honey. Feel better. Dial her number, and don't forget the extension!" Elena smiles lightly, "Thanks." She waits for a few seconds until she hears a voice on the other line. "Hey, it's me. Can you pick me up from school?"

* * *

Elena gathers her books from her locker and puts them in her backpack. Her phone vibrates in her pocket, and when she looks at it she immediately feels relieved. As she leaves the school, she waves goodbye at Mrs. Davis, and walks towards an old, red pickup truck. She opens the door, revealing a young man inside. They smile at each other kindly. "How you feeling, Lena?" He puts his hand on her's, giving her the comfort she's been looking for all day. "Just fine, Jeremy." Jeremy was her older brother. She loved both of her siblings dearly, but Jeremy was different from her older sister, Ellie. Lately, Jeremy was there for her more than Ellie had been, which she truly appreciated. They hug each other before he puts the car in drive. He decides to buy himself and his sister some food since she didn't really eat much at school. After ordering their food at a drive thru, Jeremy finds a parking spot for them to eat and talk. "Time to dig in!" Jeremy smiled widely, making Elena laugh. She never knew anyone that loved food as much as her brother. It's silent while they eat, but it isn't uncomfortable. Elena always thought that anytime she could sit with someone in silence without having to say anything was special. She didn't have to think of random things to keep the conversation going. She could just relax. Until Jeremy decides to break the silence.

"So, how'd they let you out of school?" Elena finishes chewing her food before explaining. "I told them I was calling mom." Jeremy nods his head, "And why didn't you? She at work?" Elena shakes her head no while drinking her soda. "She's off still. Mom hasn't really left the house much lately since she's been keeping Ellie company." She notices how sad her brother looks, so she tries to give a better explanation. "It's mostly because we aren't exactly getting along so well right now." That's when Jeremy finally gets it. "Is it because she keeps asking about what happened with you guys?" Elena looks out the window, trying to avoid her brother's question. "Yeah, it is." Jeremy turns off the radio, grabbing Elena's attention. "Look, I'm not going to tell you how to handle this, Elena. We all work things out in our own way. But I will say this... Mom is just trying to look out for you, and so is Bonnie." Does anyone value privacy anymore?!"She talked to you too?" Jeremy nods his head. "Ugh. Why can't everyone stop worrying about me?" Jeremy laughs to himself, making Elena even more confused. "Just think of it this way. If Bonnie was going through something, would you leave her to figure out everything on her own? Or would you try your best to get through to her?" Elena doesn't answer because she knows Jeremy is right. "Let them help you. There's nothing wrong with it. I know you may think that it makes you look weak, but it doesn't. It makes you strong." Jeremy rubs Elena's shoulder, making her smile. "Thanks, Jer. I love you." Jeremy smiles too, happy that he could help his baby sister. "I love you too."

He decides to change the subject. "How about we talk about something else?" Elena starts to think of what to tell him. "Mrs. Miller got a divorce! She's Ms. Fey now." His eyes widened, "Really? That sucks." Jeremy looks sad, almost as sad as Elena was at the beginning of the day, but if he knew how she was acting he'd change his mind too. "I know. How's your new job?" This makes Jeremy smirk. He's been working for this big sales company for a few months now. Elena assumes it's going pretty well since he seems proud of himself. "Not too bad, thanks for asking. I think I'm getting a promotion soon." Elena hits his shoulder in a playfully. "That's amazing! Did you tell mom and dad?" Jeremy puts his food in a garbage bag, putting Elena's garbage in it too. "No, but I'm planning on doing it next time we have family dinner." Her smile starts to fade when she thinks of her family. "Not sure if we'll be having one of those for a while." Jeremy didn't mean to make Elena upset, but he couldn't avoid talking about their family forever. "Things are going to get better, Elena. I promise." She doesn't reply, but he gets her to smile, and that's enough for him. "Okay, let's get you home." Jeremy backs out of the parking spot and heads straight to their house.

* * *

It's a hot, sunny day in California, and usually Caroline Forbes would like to do nothing more than sit on her swing and write in her journal. But she had such a hard time writing lately, and had to pack for the big move to Mystic Falls. She wasn't sure how to feel about it. She was sick of the drama at her current school, and sick of all the memories her childhood home brought her, but was she ready for such a big change? I guess I won't know until I get there. "Ready to go?" Caroline turns around to find her older sister, Addison, standing right behind her. Caroline smiles sadly. She wishes her sister could come with them, but she has an amazing job and life in California- one that she shouldn't miss for some small town. "Pretty much. I'm gonna miss you though." Addison hugs Caroline and kisses her head. "I'm only a phone call away! Don't forget to keep an eye on Stefan. I know he'll be okay, but I just worry about him sometimes, you know?" Addison and Stefan are Caroline's foster siblings. After her mother died of cancer, and her father being out of the picture since she was born, The Salvatore's took her in as one of their own. It was hard for Caroline at first, but they really made her feel a part of the family. Especially Stefan. When they were kids, he told their friends that Caroline was his fraternal twin. Ever since, she has considered him to be just that. She smiles at the memory, until she remembers that she's forgetting someone else.

"At least he'll have Damon out there too." Damon Salvatore had to be one of the most obnoxious people she had ever met, but there was something about him that made her forget why she was annoyed with him in the first place. He had a hard time getting along with his parents growing up, so he found a job as a mechanic in Mystic Falls. The only person that could really handle Damon was Stefan. Their bond was unbreakable, which was something Caroline always admired. They both turn when they hear a knock on Caroline's door. "Hey, guys. It's time to get going." Addison walks up to Stefan and gives him a hug. "Addison... I can't... Breathe." She immediately lets go of her brother, worried that she hurt him. "Sorry, Stef, I'm just gonna miss you so much." There was no doubt that Addison and Stefan were related. Both of them had beautiful green eyes and light brown hair. But those were about the only things that made them similar. "We should really get going, Caroline." Stefan picks up some of her bags, signaling her to get moving. She hugs Addison one last time, tearing up as they separate. "See you soon, Care." Caroline nods, mostly because she can't speak due to the oncoming tears. "I just wish Dylan was around to experience this with us." Addison wipes a tear off her cheek with her hand. "Me too. But if he was around, you guys probably wouldn't be moving in the first place." Dylan Salvatore was the third child in the family, right behind Addison and Damon. He died in a car accident a little over year ago. Stefan took it the hardest. He makes himself feel so guilty, even though the accident was nowhere near his fault. It's just who he is. He's kind and thoughtful, but also incredibly hard on himself. Caroline never understood it, honestly. "I guess you're right." Addie grabs the last bag on the floor. "Come on, time for you to start your new life!" Caroline wipes her tears before heading down the stairs. "Watch over me, Dyl. Over all of us. I hope we're doing the right thing."


	3. Chapter 3

After that conversation with her brother, Elena did feel a bit better about the whole Bonnie situation. Bonnie was just doing exactly what Elena would have done- she was looking out for her best friend. Now she just feels like an idiot. Elena takes her phone off the dresser and checks her messages. _Nothing._ She texted Bonnie over an hour ago and still hasn't gotten a response, which makes her sick to her stomach. Whenever they fought, which was pretty rare, they put it all behind them. Started anew, with a clean slate. But Elena realized that this was different. Maybe Bonnie was home and she could drive over? She couldn't avoid Elena then, right? "Please be home, B." She heads downstairs and is trying to find her mom's keys when Mrs. Gilbert calls for her. "Elena, where are you going?" _So close._ She walks towards her mother, hoping not to have to go into too much detail. "I'm gonna head over to Bonnie's!" _Please just say, "Have a good time, sweetie!"_

Instead, her mother says,"Your father's running an errand." Elena checks her phone, hoping to see a response from Bonnie. _Still nothing._ "Well, can I use your car?" Mrs. Gilbert shakes her head as she pours herself some coffee. "Ellie just took it to go to the gym." Elena rolls her eyes. "She has her own car." Mrs. Gilbert is somewhat surprised by Elena's hostility, "Her car's getting fixed by a mechanic. She'll only be gone for another hour. Is everything okay?" As much as she'd like to just stop keeping all of her feelings bottled up inside, she can't. "Everything is fine. Bonnie and I just got in a fight and I want to see her. I'll just go tomorrow." Elena decides to end the conversation there by going back to her room. "Elena!" Her mother frowns, wondering if there's anything left she can do to help her daughter.

* * *

The only things she can focus on are her footing and her heartbeat. She moves with grace, avoiding her instructor's jabs and kicks. Ever since Ellie started kickboxing, she's become stronger- physically and mentally. She also realized that part of the reason why so much went wrong in her life was because she let emotions get in the way. That was a mistake that she would never make again. Ellie does a round kick, catching her instructor by surprise. When he goes down on the ground, she's right there with him, keeping him from moving. "Woah, take it easy there, Ellie!" She stands up, smiling widely. "Sorry, Charlie." She moves from one foot to the other, trying to get rid of all her adrenaline. Charlie pushes himself up with Ellie's help. "It's all good. You're improving, you know." Ellie walks towards her gym bag, sad that her lessons today are over. "Oh trust me, I know." She winks, making Charlie laugh. "You seem pretty motivated." Her playfulness immediately disappears. "I guess you could say that. Same time tomorrow?" Charlie nods before handing her a water. "You bet." She opens it, taking a quick sip. "You better finish that, Ellie. I don't want you passing out on the way home." Ellie puts the cap back on the water, "I know, I know. See you tomorrow."

She walks to the car, opening the back door to put away her things. She then sits in the driver's seat, adjusting her mirrors. She checks her rearview and that's when she sees him in the backseat. He disappeared just as quickly as she saw him. _It wasn't real, El. You're okay._ But no matter how much she tried to comfort herself, she couldn't shake the anger building up inside her. As she enters her house, Mrs. Gilbert smiles. "Hey, Ellie. I'm making some pasta with zucchini noodles for dinner! I know you're working out a lot lately, so I didn't want to ruin your diet." Ellie ignores her, wiping the smile off her mother's face. Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert tense up when they hear her door slam. "That's it." Mr. Gilbert goes towards Ellie's room until his wife stops him. "Grayson, please. Give her time." He shakes his head. "She needs us, Miranda. I'm not just going to stand here and do nothing. I'm not letting her slip away. Especially under our roof."

Mr. Gilbert delivers three loud knocks on Ellie's door. "Ellie, open up. We need to talk." No response. He knocks two more times. "I just want to be alone right now." He tries opening the door, but it's locked. He throws his hands in the air, deciding that this is the last straw. " _Eleanor Gilbert_ , unlock this door right now or so help me I will-" The door opens before he can finish his sentence. She walks away and sits on her bed. "What do you want?" He clears his throat, trying his best to stay calm. "I'd like us to eat dinner tonight as a family." She starts to look away. _Family, huh? What does it matter if I've caused them nothing but trouble?_ "I was just about to go to bed." Mr. Gilbert nods as if he is okay with it. "Oh. Well you can sleep. _After_ you've had dinner with us." As much as she would like to tell her father to kiss her ass, she knows that this is a battle she can't win. "Let me know when it's ready." She closes the door. Usually, her father wouldn't just let any of his children get the last word, but this was an exception.

* * *

The flight to Mystic Falls hasn't been too awful. Except for the fact that Stefan couldn't sleep. It didn't really help that the seats weren't all that comfortable either. He looks over to the window, taking in the scenery. He's always loved the idea of traveling. And so did Dylan. They'd talk about all the countries they planned to visit, and how they couldn't wait to get out of California one day. But things are obviously different now. "Beautiful, isn't it?" Caroline looks out his window too, enjoying the view. He nods at her and stares back at the window. Stefan's never been much of a talker, unlike Caroline. She's been trying so hard to not annoy him with all of her questions and babbling, but she can't take it anymore. "How do you feel about all this? The move… and everything." He takes a deep breath. He wishes he could give Caroline an answer. To be honest, he really isn't sure about any of this. But she's been so quiet this whole plane ride, she must be dying to have some conversation. "I guess... I feel like we have to do this. We have to get away, you know?" Caroline nods her head. She knows all too well how much their family needed to leave. "We'll make it work, Stefan. We always do." She puts her head on his shoulder, ready to catch some sleep. He smiles lightly, content with the quiet. Only a few more hours till they arrived in Mystic Falls, and he wondered exactly what this small town would bring.

* * *

After their attempt at family dinner, Elena decided to have some much deserved sleep. She changes into her pajamas, turns off her light, and gets in her bed. When she finally starts to fall asleep, she dreams of a recent memory…

 _ **Jeremy finishes his last bite of food off his plate. "I'm gonna head up. I have to finish my resume!" Mrs. Gilbert rubs her son's hand with her own, giving him comfort.**_ " _ **Don't stress too much, Jeremy. I'm sure you'll get the job." Mr. Gilbert stands, giving his son a noogie before saying, "How could they not hire my boy?" Mrs. Gilbert gives her husband a look of disapproval, letting him know that he should stop. "Knock it off, Grayson."**_

 _ **Mr. Gilbert's eyes widen. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want one too?" He runs to his wife and gives her a light noogie, making sure not to actually mess up her hair. She starts to laugh and gives him a kiss. The Gilbert children look at their parents in disgust, letting them know their opinions in unison. "Gross!"**_

 _ **This really makes Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert laugh. "Okay, I'm going to the store to grab a few things. You coming, Miranda?" She nods, "Yep!" They take their plates and put them in the sink. After putting on their jackets, they kiss their kids goodbye. "See you soon!" Jeremy goes straight to his room, but Ellie and Elena decide to stay downstairs.**_ " _ **Want to watch a movie?" Elena starts to smile. "Sure! But can we watch a romantic comedy or something this time? I need to recover from 'Beneath The Crawlspace'." Ellie playfully frowns. "Ugh, you're no fun. Fine. Pick the movie while I make us some popcorn."**_

 _ **Ellie leaves the room and heads to the kitchen. While looking through their family's DVDs, Elena thinks she hears a noise on their porch. She yells, "Hey, El? Did you hear that?" Ellie speaks loud enough so her sister can hear her. "Not funny, Elena." Elena walks into the kitchen, obviously anxious. "Ellie, I'm not kidding." Her sister shakes her head as if she's crazy. "You're just hearing things. If you don't pick a movie before I get back out there, I'm going to eat this popcorn myself." Elena laughs nervously as she moves back to the couch. She then hears pounding on the door, becoming louder and louder. A voice slowly emerges from the outside of their home.**_

 _ **Elena is silent. She has to make sure it's exactly who she thinks it is. "I know you're in there, Ellie. Don't make me find a way inside. Just make this easy on yourself and open the door." No, please, not him. "Oh my god." Elena covers her mouth with her hand, afraid that he will hear her speak. She runs into the kitchen, almost bumping into her sister and the bowl of popcorn in her hand. "Elena, what's wrong?" Elena starts panicking, "It's Kai."**_

 _ **Once Ellie hears his name, she tenses up. "Get Jeremy." Elena shakes her head no as she whispers, "We should call mom and dad. Or better yet the police." Ellie puts the popcorn down. "I don't want mom and dad to know about this yet. They just stopped worrying." Ellie starts to walk away, but Elena grabs her sister's arm. "I'm not leaving you down here alone." Ellie pulls her arm away, "Elena, go. Now." Elena looks at her sister reluctantly, but listens to her anyway.**_

 _ **As Elena reaches the stairs, the front door bursts open and a man enters their house. He grabs the first person he can see, which is Elena. He holds her so tight that no matter how hard she tries, she is unable to get out of his grip. "Ellie. I thought I'd stop by since I was in the neighborhood."**_

" _ **Yeah right, Kai." She tries to move towards him to take her sister back, but he makes it clear that it is not allowed. "Don't come any closer or you'll regret it." This makes Ellie move back, hands in the air. "What do you want?" Kai laughs like a madman. "What do I want? Hm. Good question. I want to know a lot of things… Like why you didn't answer any of my calls? Or my messages?"**_

" _ **Let go of my sister, and I will explain everything." Kai becomes serious. "You're full of it. How can I believe anything you say after you've ignored me for months?" Will he ever understand? "We weren't working. We will never work. We're bad for each other, Kai. What you're doing proves this perfectly. Leave my sister out of this, it has nothing to do with her."**_

 _ **She is trying to stay calm, for herself more than Elena, but it's getting harder every second. "You're wrong. You don't know anything. We are right for each other. But it's okay, because you're gonna learn. You're gonna wish you never left me."**_

 _ **Elena has tried to appear strong but a tear falls down her cheek. Kai sees this and smiles. As he breathes Elena realizes that he is incredibly drunk. She smells so much whiskey that she almost thinks she's going to be sick. "Aw, is little Elena crying?" He kisses her cheek, causing Elena to move away in disgust.**_

" _ **You listen up, Ellie. I'm going to have some fun with your little sister, unless you come with me." Elena shakes her head violently, "Ellie, don't even think about-" Neither of the sisters have ever seen someone so furious. "SHUT UP!" Ellie starts to cry. If anything happened to Elena, especially something this horrible… Something that was her fault, she wouldn't know how to live herself.**_

" _ **Elena, I'll be back. I promise." Kai smirks, mostly because that won't be possible once he gets his way. "No you won't! Please don't leave. Don't leave me, Ellie." Kai starts to relax after hearing Ellie give in. He gives her the same smile that Ellie once fell for. "Don't listen to your sister. Come with me and we'll talk this out." Ellie starts nodding, too scared to defy him.**_

 _ **Elena doesn't understand. Why is she giving up?! "He's gonna kill you, Ellie. Please don't leave." Kai acts as if he's surprised. He opens his mouth, letting out a fake gasp. This moment makes Elena truly terrified. They're dealing with a psychopath. "Do you really think I'd do that, Elena?" Neither of them answer.**_

" _ **Because I just might." As Ellie closes her eyes, tears to stream down her face. Elena has had enough of this. "You leave her alone before I-" Kai releases Elena from his grip, turning her towards him and slapping her in the face. She falls to the ground, holding her hand to her cheek. Ellie can barely speak, but Kai knows that she is begging him to leave them alone.**_

" _ **Shut your mouth, Elena. And stay down or I will kill you and your sister right here, right now. You understand me?" Elena feels so many emotions, but the one she feels most is defeat. She nods her head. Kai now focuses on Ellie. "Let's go." Ellie looks back and forth from him to her sister. Never in a million years would she think they would experience something this awful. "All I'm asking is that you leave her alone." Kai looks at Elena, smiling devilishly. "I just thought of a better idea." He walks closer towards Ellie, but she knows better than to move away from him. He speaks softly, "I'll take your sister, and then I'll come back for you."**_

 _ **Ellie starts to hit Kai, but he is much stronger, pushing her away in a matter of seconds. She hits her head on the wall, causing her vision to fade in and out. Kai grabs Elena and is about to walk out through the front door when Jeremy runs down the stairs and tackles him. Elena is thrown to the floor, but crawls out of harm's way. Kai is under Jeremy, who is beating Kai down. Jeremy punches him until Kai is unable to move. His sisters are hysterical. Especially Ellie. She got Elena involved and now her brother too?**_

" _ **Jeremy! Jeremy, stop before you kill him." He stops, and looks at both of his sisters. As soon as he does, his heart breaks instantly. He wants to kill Kai for everything he has done to two of the most important people in his life, but he can't. He doesn't continue, but only because his sister asked him not to. Elena starts to stand. "Is he…" Jeremy shakes his head. "No, he's alive. I'm calling the police." Jeremy walks outside to use his phone. Elena stares at Kai until she notices her sister pacing around the room. "Ellie-"**_

" _ **I am so, so sorry, Elena." Elena stops Ellie by grabbing onto her shoulders. "It's okay, El. I'm fine." This makes Ellie feel even worse. "No, you're not. This is all my fault, Elena. This is all because of me." She leans against the wall, sliding down as more tears glisten down her cheeks. Elena crouches down to comfort her sister but Ellie won't have it. They both look up when they see their parents run into the house. Mr. Gilbert looks at his girls and then down at Kai. "You son of a-"**_ _ **He leans down, grabbing Kai by the neck and screams at him, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM?! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY GIRLS?" Kai smiles, but it fades as he feels the effects of his beating. Mrs. Gilbert is crying, walking quickly towards her daughters. She hugs them both, kissing each of their heads. Police sirens are heard in the near distance, and multiple officers run into the home...**_

Elena shoots up from her nightmare, shaking as she turns on her lamp. That wasn't just some nightmare. That was _real_. And that was something that she will never forget. No matter how hard she tries, Kai will haunt her dreams forever. She starts to cry as she clutches her pillow.

Once Elena finally stops crying, she walks into her parent's bedroom. She finds her mother laying in her bed, reading a book. "Where's dad?" Mrs. Gilbert is still focusing on her book, although she's surprised Elena is up so late. "He had to go to the hospital. He'll be home later." When she lifts up her eyes, she notices that Elena has been crying. "Elena? What's wrong?" Elena starts to tear up again. She doesn't know why, she wishes she could stop crying. She's so sick of crying. "I- I think I need to start seeing a therapist. I need someone to help me. Can we do that? Please?" Mrs. Gilbert is in complete shock. All this time, Elena has not wanted help from anyone. Not from her family, not from her friends, and definitely not from a therapist. Elena crawls into her mother's bed, hugging her. "Of course, Elena." She continues to cry, until the soothing touch of her mother running her hand through her hair helps her fall asleep. But Miranda is wide awake. She now realizes just how much pain both of her daughters are in, and it breaks her heart. She wipes her tears away, not wanting Elena to feel them fall off her cheeks.


	4. Chapter 4

First off, I just wanted to say thank you so much for giving my story a chance! I have never written one before, so please bear with me. I'm used to writing scripts, so I realize that there may not be much detail about each character; but you will learn more soon, I promise. Also, I decided that typically when I italicize, it will be a character's thoughts. I'm hoping that it will make it easier to identify what kind of person each of them are and how they're really feeling. Enjoy chapter 4!

* * *

"Where would you like to start today, Elena?"

 _Where do I even begin?_

"Elena?"

She lifts her eyes off the coffee table quickly, as if she was just in a trance. Who would have thought that Elena Gilbert would end up speaking to a therapist? It's not like she's crazy or anything, right? Lots of people have them. Besides, people have bigger problems than her and all she can think about is herself? She shouldn't be so selfish. "I'm not sure." Doctor Meredith Fell has been incredibly patient with Elena, which both Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert appreciate. It's not that Elena won't talk about her feelings, she just doesn't want others to worry about her. She wants to be able to take care of herself. "Well, let's start off with the reason you're here. Usually my teenage patients are forced to see me because of their parents. Is that the same case for you?" Elena shakes her head nervously. "No. I asked to have a therapist." _More like begged_. Doctor Fell nods with no emotion, but it doesn't make Elena uncomfortable. She never liked feeling as though someone pitied her. They didn't even have to say anything, she could see it in their Doctor Fell didn't. Not that Elena could tell anyway. Instead, she spoke with Elena as if it was no big deal, and right now that's exactly what Elena needed. "I see. And what brought this on?" I just want this to be over with. "You sure do ask a lot of questions." This really makes Doctor Fell laugh, which is not the reaction Elena expected. Doctor Fell writes down in her notepad, trying to hide her smile. "It's how I get my answers. It's good for the both of us, Elena. I promise. Just tell me something. Anything."

Elena looks outside Doctor Fell's window, admiring the town square in Mystic Falls. "I- I, uh, had a dream… About what happened that night. I think I tried repressing it or something, since it came out of nowhere." Doctor Fell jots some more into her notepad. _Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut. Tell her that this was a mistake and that I'd like to go home. But then what? I'd still feel the same._ "Going through a traumatic experience like that can take quite a toll on your mental health." Although Elena hates to remember, she has to admit that it was traumatic. "Yeah, that makes sense. I really thought something was going to happen to us. We could have died, and it would have been because of a psycho ex boyfriend?" Elena feels the tears ready to fall from her eyes, but she can't cry. She won't. Once Doctor Fell knows how much the whole experience affected her, she'll never stop asking questions. "You seem to be handling this well. From what I've gathered, you're strong." Elena rolls her eyes. "Me? Strong? I almost got my sister killed."

"Elena, you were being held against your will. There was nothing you could do." She can't hold it in any longer. The anger, the sadness, the fear. "If there was nothing I could do about it, then why do I still feel like this?" She didn't mean to come off so rudely; she knows Doctor Fell is only there to help. "Like what?" Elena takes a tissue from the box on the coffee table, just in case. "Guilty. Awful. Like I'm a failure. I just wish this never happened." She takes the tissue and wipes away her tears. She's glad that there are only a few. If there were more, she'd get blotches all over her face- one of the many reasons Elena hated crying. "Doctor Fell, could we please just take a break from talking about that?" Thankfully, she agrees to change the subject. "Of course. How is your sister doing?" How about something else.

"Ellie's not doing very well. Or at least that's how it seems to me. We haven't been talking talking lately.""

"Did she give you any reason?" _If she did I probably wouldn't be here._ "No. That's what hurts the most. I think she's trying to shut me out. I don't really see her anymore." Doctor Fell writes as much as she can in her notepad, hoping that Elena will keep sharing information like this with her. " What about at home?" Elena is tired of talking, but maybe if she gives Doctor Fell enough today she can leave early. "She's hardly home anymore, Doctor Fell. Ellie's usually at her kick boxing class. Otherwise, she's in her room with the door locked." _I wish she kept it unlocked. Even just for one day_. "And why do you think that is?"

"I think she's scared that something will happen again." Elena looks out the window one more time, staring at the sun. At least she can pretend that her eyes are watering because of the burning sensation instead of the truth- she isn't sure if her sister will ever bounce back from what happened. "Have you thought about telling Ellie this?" Elena decides to give her eyes a break and close them. Once they're opened, she realizes that she has to face reality. "What? That I miss her? Not really. Doesn't seem like it'll do any good." Doctor Fell puts the notepad on the coffee table, clasping her hands. "Maybe we can schedule an appointment where you both talk about how you're feeling. Together." Before Elena can turn down the suggestion, the timer goes off, ending their session. Doctor Fell stands up to shake Elena's hand. "Goodbye, Elena. See you next week." Elena shakes it as she tries her best to give Doctor Fell a smile, letting her know that she'll be okay. "Goodbye."

The only thing that Elena could focus on now other than her family was Bonnie- and the fact that Elena hasn't spoken to her in three days. She decided that enough was enough. If Bonnie couldn't forgive her, then she wasn't a true friend. Was that completely true? Sort of. But it's what she would tell herself anyway, only to cushion the blow of possibly losing her best friend. Elena takes her mother's car and drives to Bonnie's house, admiring the colorful leaves on the trees on the way. Fall was one of her favorite seasons, mainly because it wasn't as hot as summer, but wasn't as cold as winter. Elena remembers when her dad would rake a huge pile of leaves for her and her siblings to jump in. I wish I could go back. Elena parks in Bonnie's driveway, trying to get herself out of the car. But she can't. She closes her eyes, breathing in and out. _What if she just slams the door in my face? She wouldn't do that to me, right? Or what if-_ Elena flinches when she hears loud knocking on her window. She's surprised to see Bonnie staring at her. She quickly rolls down the window, her mouth completely dry. _Say something, you idiot!_ "I, I-" Bonnie's stare is making Elena so nervous that her palms are sweating.

"Can I help you?" Elena wipes her palms onto her jeans and decides to tell Bonnie the truth. "I shouldn't have treated you the way I did- at all. You were trying to help me. I'm sorry. I don't deserve you, B. So I understand if you don't want to talk to me anymore. I wouldn't either, honestly." Bonnie's anger starts to fade. Even though she was upset with Elena, it didn't mean that she wouldn't want to have her in her life. "Elena. It's okay. I know you're hurting… I just want to be there for you. If you'll let me." Elena can't help the tears this time. She unbuckles her seatbelt and dives into Bonnie's arms for a long overdue hug. "I love you, B." Elena laughs as she sniffs. "I love you too, Elena. How about we get some food and head to the beach? For old times sake." Both of them smile, happy to be ineach other's company once again. "Sounds good to me. Get in!"

* * *

Stefan was so happy to be off that airplane. He was getting restless. All he could think about was what Mystic Falls would be like. Would he make friends? He used to be more of a loner until freshman year of high school. He could try out for football? He used to play at his old school. But it just didn't feel the same anymore. He didn't even feel the same. Not after Dylan passed away. "What are you thinkin' about, Stef?" Mrs. Salvatore mutes the tv as she looks towards her son intently. It's not that Stefan didn't like talking with his mother, she was kind and caring, always concerned about her children's well being. He just didn't like burdening others with his thoughts. "Nothing really." Instead of pushing him more, she continues watching tv. Stefan's father was at work, so the house was pretty empty. Caroline wanted to go to the beach, so she took the car. She always read by the beach back home. It was her way to destress.

She asked Stefan if he wanted to come, but he didn't feel like going out today. "Stefan, have you talked to your brother?" He shakes his head no. He hasn't even told Damon that they live in Mystic Falls. "I know that you weren't exactly as close with him as you were with Dylan, but maybe visiting him could be good for you both." Maybe. "Is his work far from here? Caroline took the car." Stefan removes himself from the couch and grabs his jacket. "No, I think you could walk." She takes her phone, looks up the address, and sends it to her son. "Be safe. Call me when you're there, okay?" Stefan nods his head. "I love you, Stefan." He quickly heads out the door, but makes sure to pop his head back in to say, "Love you too, mom."

Stefan takes in the cool wind against his skin and the sight of the colorful trees. In some ways, he misses LA's warm weather. But he really likes fall so far. He checks his phone to make sure he's heading into the right direction. He was a bit nervous to see his older brother. It's been so long. But maybe things could go well for them. When he arrives, he is definitely surprised. MYSTIC FALLS CAR REPAIR. _Never knew Damon was into cars._ He opens the door, confused when he finds no one in sight. Stefan notices a bell on the desk, and gently touches it. Commotion is heard in the garage, making Stefan anxious. He slowly walks past the desk, towards the noise. He sees a man under a car, fixing who knows what. Maybe it was his brother. "Damon?" No response. Stefan speaks up. "Damon!" The man pushes himself and his creeper away from the car, lifting his eyes upward as he takes his headphones out of his ears. "Stefan."

Damon stands up and wipes his hands on his t-shirt. "What are you doing here, brother? Haven't seen you in years." He puts his hand out for Stefan to shake. When Stefan grabs it firmly, it makes Damon smirk proudly. Stefan may be broody and quiet, but he can throw a punch when he has to. He practically taught his brothers how to fight, which their parents didn't seem to appreciate. "We moved here." Damon's bright blue eyes widened, "You mean mom and dad are here too?" Stefan nods. "And Caroline. Addison is back home though." Damon runs his hand through his long black hair, "Well. Isn't that just lovely." He walks towards the fridge in the back and grabs a beer for himself. "Want one?" Stefan nods again. "You still aren't much of a talker, huh?" Stefan chuckles. "I can when I wanna be." He takes the beer from Damon's hand, opening it with a smile. "How are mom and dad?"

Stefan breathes in. He forgot about their relationship with Damon. He was your typical bad boy; Damon ditched school, tried stealing cars, whatever he could do to piss his parents off. One day, Mr. Salvatore told him to either get his act together or to get the hell out of their house. So he left, leaving only a note on the kitchen table. Every once and a while Damon would call to say that he was okay, but he knew that leaving was the best choice he could have made. He hardly fought with his mother. It was always his father Damon had trouble with. He just never fit his father's mold. But luckily Mr. Salvatore had two other boys to be proud of. Well, only one now. Stefan was their father's pride and joy. He didn't say it much, but Damon could tell. There was something about Stefan that everyone loved. It used to make Damon livid, until he realized it was just something that he had to accept. Stefan was good. He was everything Damon knew he could be, but chose to ignore. There was something he liked about being Stefan's opposite. But he was sick of feeling lonely. He would never tell his brother, but Damon was glad their family moved to Mystic Falls. It could give Damon a chance to spend time with his brother again. "You have a job yet, Stefan?" Stefan chooses to speak this time instead of shaking his head yes or no. He'd have to work on that. "I do not." Stefan was hoping to find a job actually, but never thought that he'd get an offer after only being in Mystic Falls for a few days. Damon drinks his beer before replying. "Want to work here? I could show you the ropes." _It would be a good way to spend time with Damon. And it could take my mind off everything_. "Yeah, I would." Stefan will never forget the smile his brother gave him that day. Damon looked genuinely happy to have him around. Maybe their mother was right. Maybe this'll be good for them. "Welcome to the working world, little brother." The boys then clink their bottles together in celebration.

* * *

After Elena and Bonnie finish their food, they head down to the beach. It's quiet, just how they like it. But there's someone else there too. A young, perky blonde, reading a book. "Who is that?" Bonnie asks with slight jealousy. Elena shrugs her shoulders. "No idea. I've never seen her before. But we should find out." _The girl looks nice enough. What's the harm in talking to her?_ They walk towards her, blocking her sun to get her attention. Elena decides to speak first, nervous about what could come out of Bonnie's mouth. "Hi. Are you new here? I don't think I've seen you around." She puts her book down, and gives the girls a bright smile. "I am actually! Just moved here from Los Angeles." Elena wished she could move somewhere else. She loved Mystic Falls, but she needed some change. "I hope Mystic Falls won't be too boring for you then." Elena laughs lightly, making the blonde laugh too. But Bonnie doesn't buy it- not for a second. Who is this happy? "What grade are you in?" The blonde takes a sip from her water, "I'm a junior. I'm starting at Mystic Falls High this week." While Elena is excited to hear this, Bonnie is dreading it. Elena is pretty friendly, and knowing her she'll get this girl to sit with them at lunch, and who knows what else. Doesn't she know the saying "Three's a crowd"?

"We go there too! And we're also juniors. So I guess you'll be seeing some familiar faces." Elena points to herself and Bonnie but immediately stops. _Don't be dorky, Elena._ But Caroline doesn't seem to mind. "My brother's going there too. He's our age." This catches Bonnie's attention. She leans in towards Elena and whispers, "Let's hope good looks run in the family." Elena keeps smiling while she nudges Bonnie in her side. "OW!" Elena then ignores Bonnie and brings her focus back to Caroline. "Oh nice! I'm Elena. And this is Bonnie." The blonde stands up and gives each girl a hug. "It feels good to officially know people in this town. I was hoping I'd make some friends before I got to school. I'm Caroline." She then gets a text from Stefan. "Craoline can u get me? W Dmaon ay mecanic." She frowns, assuming that Stefan is drunk, and what's worse it that he's with Damon. Elena notices Caroline's change in attitude and starts to worry. "Is everything okay?" Caroline locks her phone after answering Stefan's text. "It's my brother. I should go, but it was really great to meet you guys. I'll see you around." Caroline takes her book and puts it in her bag. She then waves goodbye as she heads to her car.

When she arrives at Damon's work, she honks the horn. Stefan stumbles out the door, waving at Caroline. "Hey!" His smile disappears when he sees how upset she is. Her mood quickly changes to complete annoyance when Damon comes towards her car. She rolls down the window only enough so she can yell at him. "Hello, sunshine." He puts his hand on the window and Caroline rolls it up. Damon pulls his hand away in time, but she wished that she crushed it. "Wipe that smirk off your face, Damon. What did you do with Stefan?" Damon pretends to be serious while he rests one arm on her passenger side door, leaning on it for support. "Brother bonding. You wouldn't understand." Caroline laughs in disbelief. "So your idea of bonding is getting him completely wasted? He could barely ask me for a ride." Damon shrugs. "I guess he was under some stress. Look at him, Caroline. He's looks like the world has been lifted off his shoulders. I just wanted him to let loose a little. Trust me, he needed it."

Caroline cannot believe she is hearing this. "How would you know what he needed?" Any playfulness Damon showed was replaced with something Caroline never thought she'd see from him- compassion. "Mom told me what he went through when he lost Dylan. I felt so bad for the kid. He doesn't even act like a teenager anymore." She wishes he was wrong, but he isn't. "You're right. He acts much older and much more mature than you." She looks past Damon and sees Stefan relaxing in the grass. "Get him up and into the car before he falls asleep. And be gentle, Damon." He nods, glad to leave the conversation on a good note for once. "Come on, Stef. Time to get going." Stefan just keeps staring at the sky. "There are so many stars up there. Why couldn't I see them all back home?"

Damon looks up and admires them too, until he hears another honk from Caroline. "You lived in LA, Stefan. Probably light pollution or something." Stefan keeps staring. "Huh. Light pollution." Damon decides to take matters into his own hands since "gentle" isn't going to cut it. "Okay, up and at em." He picks his brother up and carries him to the car. "Thanks, Damon. I'll carry you next time." As Damon opens the passenger side door he can't help but smile. He can't wait for next time. "Sounds good, brother." He buckles Stefan's seatbelt and closes the door. "Night, Stefan. Night, sunshine." Caroline chooses to ignore him since she doesn't want to get into another fight. As she drives away, Stefan stares out the window. "Care, are you mad at me?" He turns towards her, nervous for her reply. "No, Stefan. I'm not mad. I was just worried. I haven't seen you drunk since Dylan's funeral. I didn't want something bad to happen."

Stefan doesn't know what to say. Sometimes he forgets how fortunate he is to have someone like Caroline in his life. Someone who knows him so well. "Don't tell mom, please. I don't want her to think that something's wrong." Caroline parks the car in front of their house. "All right. But drink lots of water. I don't want you to get a hangover." Stefan chuckles to himself. "You got it." They both get out of the car and head into the house, where Mr. and Mrs. Salvatore are waiting for them. Stefan can already sense a lecture coming their way. Before his father can yell at him, his mother speaks. "Stefan, you never called. And neither did you, Caroline. I was worried sick all night." Stefan runs his hand through his hair, scratching his neck nervously. "I know, I'm so sorry, mom. I just lost track of time. Me and Damon-" He immediately wishes he never said that in front of his father. "Damon? You were with him this whole time? He's nothing but trouble, Stefan. That's why he moved away in the first place." Stefan can see why Damon wanted to leave so much. His father doesn't hide his true feelings, apparently. "He moved away because you practically made him." Stefan takes off his jacket and walks up the stairs. Mr. Salvatore is truly shocked. Stefan never acts like this. He looks to Caroline, waiting for her explanation. "And where were you?"

"I was reading at the beach and ended up talking with two girls from town. They both go to Mystic Falls High, and they're my age! After that I picked Stefan up and now we're home... Safe and sound. That's what matters right, guys?" She puts on her best smile as she gives her parents two thumbs up. But it doesn't work out as well as she hoped. "We'll talk tomorrow, Caroline. All four of us will. Goodnight." Caroline slouches her shoulders in defeat. "Goodnight." Before climbing the stairs she turns around and tells them, "I know you two aren't exactly happy with us right now, but we love you both a lot." They both smile at her, ignoring the fact that they were mad minutes before. Mrs. Salvatore stands and gives her a hug. "We love you too. We were only mad because we care about you both so much." Mr. Salvatore also stands and hugs Caroline, kissing her forehead. "Your mother's right. Now go get some sleep." Moments like these make Caroline cry. Not because she's sad, but because she's thankful. She knows the Salvatore's aren't her biological family, but she wouldn't trade them for anything in the world. "Good idea."

She quickly heads upstairs, not wanting her parents to see her tears. As she wipes them away, she sees Stefan standing outside of his room, probably listening in on the conversation. He takes her in his embrace, making her cry some more. "You okay?" She nods as she hugs her brother back. "Are you?" He nods too. He never likes fighting with the people he loves, but he know's that it'll blow over soon. "Yeah. I am." Caroline tries her best to compose herself before speaking again. "I hope this move is worth it. I'm starting to get nervous about school." Stefan knows that she's just trying to change the subject, but he wonders the same. "Well, I think it'll be just fine." Caroline furrows her eyebrows. "And how are you so sure?" Stefan laughs, "Like you said, Care. We'll make this work. We always do."


	5. Chapter 5

"How are you feeling today, Elena?"

"Better than usual." And she wasn't lying. Now that everything with Bonnie was over, she had less to worry about. Too bad Doctor Fell needed to know more. "Anything you want to talk about? Family? Friends?" Elena is sick of both topics. She'd love nothing more than watching a movie with Bonnie- or doing anything with Bonnie for that matter. "No, not right now. But I'll probably have something for you in a few days." Of course she doesn't want to keep seeing Doctor Fell, but she knows that before anything can truly get better, she'll have to keep dealing with her feelings. Doctor Fell takes a minute to figure out what she will say next. "What about Kai? Are you still having your nightmares?" Elena starts to twist her ring on her finger in anxiety. "Not really." But she was lying. Was it bad to lie to you therapist? Probably. Well, if you do, please let me know. But until then, I'd like to try something new with you. Only if you're up for it, though." _Something new? What could be more new than bearing my soul to a complete stranger?_ "What is it?" Elena doesn't mind change. Change is good. Still, she isn't sure that she's ready for whatever this is just yet. "Are you willing to write in a diary?" Elena glances at different areas of the room, hoping it will help her think of a response. "A diary? I haven't done that since middle school." As much as Doctor Fell tries to not display her emotions to her patients, she had to this time for Elena. She decided that if this was going to work, she had to show at least a little bit of hopefulness. She leans in closer, explaining her idea."I realize it may seem strange. But writing everything that is upsetting you, or giving you any emotion, really, can make quite a difference in our visits. You could write down anything you want, and only show me what you want me to see; that way we can both have a better understanding about where we should go next. How does that sound?" _Could that really work? I've never really been much of a writer. I guess it doesn't matter if I'm the only one reading it. Well, me and_ _Doctor Fell._ "I can give it a try. If it doesn't help, can I stop?" Doctor Fell sighs with relief, happy that Elena is at least trying. "Of course, Elena. This is about _you_ and what you're comfortable with. I'll let you leave early- _if_ you start writing in it this week." Elena nods her head up and down in excitement. _Anything to get out early._ "Deal."

Since Elena's session is over, she rewards herself with a walk around town square. As she's walking, she realizes that she still needs to find a journal. She is _not_ calling it a diary. She stops in at the local pharmacy and looks at each of the journals, choosing a plain red one. As she brings it to the counter, she starts looking forward to writing in it. Someday she can look back and read about all the memories she's made. _Let's hope that there are more good ones than bad._ Elena opens the door, ready to walk back home, until she bumps into someone. She drops her journal, his hands touching hers as they both bend down to pick it up. Elena feels as though electricity is coursing through her veins. She quickly stands up, ignoring the journal on the ground completely. She wants to stop staring at him, but she can't help herself. He is truly beautiful. His eyes are gentle and kind, making Elena blush when he looks at her. "I believe this is yours?" He picks up her journal, handing it to her. She is at a loss for words. _Say something, damn it!_ "Yes it is. Thank you." _It's just an attractive guy. You've dealt with plenty before._ Stefan clenches his jaw and gives her a light smile. "Of course. I'm sorry that I bumped into you. I should have been paying better attention to where I was going." She is about to reply when someone taps her shoulder. Her smile fades once she sees Matt Donovan standing behind her. "Hey, Elena. Can I talk to you for a second?" Matt is Elena's ex boyfriend. They grew up together, which made almost everyone assume that they'd become high school sweethearts. That obviously didn't happen. "Matt. Of course." She turns to the other boy, smiling apologetically as she tells him, "It's no big deal. Thanks again." Although he wishes they could continue talking, Stefan knows that he should get going. "No problem. It was nice to meet you." He walks in the opposite direction, forcing himself not to look back at her one last time. Mystic Falls is a small town, so he's bound to see her again, isn't he? Elena kept staring as he left until Matt interrupted her. "Elena? Are you listening?" She almost forgot that he was even there.

"What's up, Matt?" Elena did love him, it's just that she loved him like a brother. She tried her hardest to feel the same way he did. Unfortunately, she couldn't. And she didn't want to just string him along, so she ended their relationship. Plus, Elena changed after everything happened with Kai. She didn't consider continuing their relationship to be the best thing for either of them. But that didn't matter to Matt. He knew that he would always love her, no matter what. It took all the confidence in him just to walk up to her, so he might as well say what he needed to say. "I just wanted to say that I think you made a mistake, and that you should give me another shot." Elena rolled her eyes, having to look away, mostly to spare his feelings. She didn't want to start a scene, so she pulled him over to the side, making sure that they weren't blocking anyone trying to walk by. "Matt, you will always mean something to me. _Always_. You're one of my best friends. But that's all you can ever be. You're an amazing guy, I mean that full heartedly. And you'll find a girl that's perfect for you." She knows that this must hurt him so much, making this almost impossible. _I feel like we're breaking up all over again._ Tears well up in her eyes. If this is what it will take for Matt to stop chasing after her, then it's what she has to do. "Elena-" She steps closer to him, making Matt nervous. "I love you, Matt. Just not the way you want me to." Matt lowers his chin to his chest, trying to hide the tears that are forming in his own eyes. When he looks up at her, Elena's stomach feels like it's in knots. Matt tries to laugh off the pain, but Elena can see right through it. She's known him almost all her life. "Right. Got it. Thanks, Elena. Glad we had this talk. You should probably go back to pretty boy. Seemed like you two were hitting it off." Matt knew that he was jealous, but this time he wasn't going to hide it. There were plenty of guys that were interested in Elena, which was one of the reasons Matt loved having her as his girlfriend. Now she wasn't his, and seeing her even talk to someone else made his blood boil. Instead of making an even bigger idiot out of himself, he chooses to walk away, leaving her all alone. It's probably what she wants anyway. "Matt!" But he doesn't turn around. Not this time.

* * *

Stefan walked the whole way home with a goofy smile on his face. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this good. Caroline noticed the change in his mood too, and being Caroline, she had to comment on it. "And what are you so happy about, mister?" Usually, Stefan would either shake his head or refuse to acknowledge her when it came to these kinds of things, but he actually wanted to tell her about his encounter. "I met this girl. She was gorgeous, Caroline-" She squeals with excitement. "Oh my gosh, Stefan! How'd you meet her? Did you ask her out? What's her name?" Stefan took a step back, letting her know that she needed to calm down. "We bumped into each other. On accident. We started talking and then a guy she knows came up to her. Oh, and I don't know her name." Caroline sets her jaw as she places her hands on her brother's shoulders. "We're gonna find this girl, Stefan. We have to!" His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I hope so. Maybe she goes to our new school." _It would make finding her a lot easier._ He immediately tenses up. "Maybe I shouldn't find her. I haven't really liked anyone since-" Caroline clears her throat. "Stefan, I'm only going to say this once. You are a wonderful guy. Any girl would be lucky to have you. Get yourself back out there before it's too late." He nods, trying his best to agree with Caroline's words.

* * *

 **JOURNAL ENTRY #1**

 **9/20 7:03pm**

 **I decided to follow Doctor Fell's advice and buy myself a diary- I mean journal. I think that this could actually help me since nothing else seems to work. Besides, there's no harm in trying. Now here's the hard part. Where do I start?**

Elena places her pen in her mouth as she tries thinking of what to write about.

 **Never mind** **. I know exactly where to start. I saw Matt a couple days ago. It had to be one of the worst experiences in my life. I hate how much I've put him through. He doesn't deserve it. He can't help how he feels, but neither can I. Even though he probably hates me, I had to let him know that there was no chance for us getting back together. I hope one day that he can forgive me, but until then I should just leave him be for a while. In other news, I met a boy too- before all the Matt drama happened. He was really**

Before she can finish her sentence, her mother calls for her. "Elena! Time for dinner. And don't stay up late again tonight. You have that thing called _school_ tomorrow, remember?" _Ugh._ Elena heads downstairs, not surprised to only see her parents sitting at the table. "Where's Jeremy?" She didn't have to ask about Ellie. She knew that she was probably kickboxing. Mr. Gilbert finishes chewing his food before replying to his daughter. "He went out with some of his buddies after work. Mom ordered your favorite." Elena grins as she looked at all the Chinese food in front of her. She sits down and takes a moment to watch her parents. Elena doesn't know what they're laughing about, but it makes her smile anyway. She used to think that her parents being so obsessed with each other was gross, but now she is incredibly thankful. She hoped to have a relationship like that one day. _Maybe I should give up dating for now._ After breaking up with Matt, she'd be okay with being single for a little while longer.

* * *

The next morning, Elena makes sure to be on time for Bonnie. She definitely didn't want a repeat of what happened last time. Once she hears multiple honks outside, she knows Bonnie has arrived. Elena locks her front door and walks to Bonnie's car. When Elena opens the door, she gives Bonnie a disapproving look. "B, you know it's 6:30 in the morning, right?" Bonnie taps her fingers on the steering wheel, disregarding what Elena has said. "If I have to be up this early, so should the rest of your neighborhood." A neighbor opens up his window and yells out, "LAY OFF THE HORN. SOME OF US ARE TRYING TO SLEEP." If only he knew who he was dealing with. Bonnie rolls her window all the way down so he can hear her clearly. "OH, GET OVER YOURSELF." After the neighbor slams his window shut, Bonnie runs her hand through her hair, smiling proudly. "Ready?" Every once and a while, Elena forgets how different she is from Bonnie. But you know what they say, _opposites attract._ Elena turns up the radio on Bonnie's car, hoping it'll drown out the embarrassment she's feeling. "Ready as I'll ever be."

Elena gazes out her window, hoping school won't be as bad as last week. At least she'd get to show Caroline and her brother around. _Wait, is that-_ "Bonnie, I think that's Caroline!" _It has to be her._ Elena can see her light blonde locks blowing in the wind, and someone else walking with her. Bonnie starts to squint, thinking it will make her see better. "You're right. Who's that guy?" A slow smile starts to build across her lips as she lifts her eyebrows. Elena leans forward with eagerness. "She said she had a brother. Did you listen to anything she said?" Bonnie's body stiffens as she points her index finger at her best friend. "Gilbert, don't act like I'm supposed to remember these things." Elena's first instinct would be to pull over and offer them a ride, but she knows for a fact that it wouldn't be Bonnie's. "You know, B, they've got a long way to walk from here..." Elena gives Bonnie the best pout she can, hoping to persuade her. "Are you trying to _guilt_ me into taking them into school?" Elena wants to say _of course not_ but decides against it since it isn't true. But Bonnie answers for her. She shakes her head saying, "Because it's working."

Bonnie pulls up to Caroline, honking her horn to get their attention. Caroline flinches, surprised by the noise. Elena rolls down her window, sticking her head out to get a better view. "Caroline! It's me, Elena! And Bonnie. Do you need a-" She feels her lips tremble when he turns around. She'd recognize those eyes anywhere. It was the boy that she met outside the store. He holds in his breath. _Elena. Her name's Elena._ Bonnie hits her best friend's shoulder, trying to bring her back to earth. "Uh, what she's trying to say is, you guys want a lift?" Caroline tried her best to hide her excitement, but it was almost impossible. She was so happy to see her new friends. And they even offered to drive her to school! "That'd be great. Thank you so much. Oh, I almost forgot. This is my brother, Stefan." Elena gazed at him with focus- _Stefan._ He waves at the girls, trying to hide how shocked he was to see her again. It had to be fate. He was sure of it. Bonnie didn't know why everyone was acting so strange, but she was ready to hit the road. "Well, unless you want to be late for your first day, I'd suggest getting in the car." Caroline clears her throat. "Right. Sorry." They both hop in the back, Caroline sitting behind Bonnie and Stefan sitting behind Elena, and buckle their seat belts.

Elena's biting her bottom lip so hard that she thinks it might start to bleed. Her palms are sweaty, and she can't seem to stop squirming. Bonnie gives her a quick look, tilting her head. She doesn't speak, but Elena knows exactly what she wants to say. _What the hell is up with you?_ Maybe talking will make it less awkward. "So... Are either of you nervous?" Caroline puts a piece of hair behind her ear, fixing her posture in the process. "Not really. I was a few days ago, but now I'm excited. It'll be nice to make new friends, like you guys!" Caroline's confidence quickly changes to annoyance when Stefan puts in his two cents. "She also loves any sort of attention she can get." Caroline parts her lips, swatting Stefan's shoulder. "Hiding how terrified you are with snarky comments?" Stefan chuckles, making Elena smile. _He had a pretty nice laugh. ELENA. STOP. You're being creepy._ She is taken away from her thoughts when Stefan speaks up, "I'm not scared, Caroline. It's just school." His sister looks outside her window, hoping that they'll stop arguing soon. Even though they're messing around, she hated when they fought. "Whatever you say, Stef."

Bonnie stops at the red light and turns to the siblings. "I'm curious. Which one of you is older?" Caroline sneers as she proudly tells Bonnie, "Me." Stefan rolls his eyes. "Only by a month." Elena has to laugh at their bickering. It reminded her of how she'd act with Ellie- back when they used to speak. "I always wished I had a sibling my age." She loved Ellie and Jeremy, but they were all in different stages of their lives. It'd be nice to share one with a sibling. Both Stefan and Caroline say in unison, "No, you don't." Making everyone in the car laugh. Elena places her head on the headrest and looks at the rearview mirror. When Stefan catches her gaze, she looks down at her phone. Bonnie pulls into the school parking lot and turns off the car. "We're here." When they get out of the car, Bonnie heads straight for Caroline. "Blondie! What's your schedule look like? Maybe we have some classes together." She smiles widely, happy to see Bonnie so eager about their friendship. _She even gave me a nickname._ "Let me check!" While Caroline looks through her bag, Bonnie gets Elena's attention, nudging her head toward Stefan. She mouths the word "GO". Elena feels her nerves coming back when she realizes Bonnie was signaling her to try and talk to him. She feels tense. Luckily, Stefan hasn't noticed. He's too busy looking at his schedule.

"Everything okay?" Elena asks. Stefan takes his eyes off the piece of paper and looks at Elena. He hasn't felt his heart beat this fast in a while. He puts his hand through his hair- one of the things he does when he's nervous, and laughs to himself. Great. Now Elena can't stop staring at his hair. "Yeah, just trying to figure out my classes, I guess." She wants to move closer, but she feels frozen. _Help him, Elena. Walk over there. It's easy. One foot after the other._ "Here, let me help you!" She pulls out her own schedule, comparing the two. "Looks like we have history together." He looks leans in closer to examine the two. "And English and French." He smiles at her and she can't help but smile back. "I can show you where your other ones are too if you want?" Elena didn't want to come off desperate so she tried acting like it was no big deal. "I mean, so you won't get lost." Stefan clears his throat, trying to keep his cool. "That'd be great. Thanks." Bonnie smirks when she sees them talking to each other. She'd hate to interrupt their moment, but they had to get to class. "Okay, ladies!" Stefan tilts his head in confusion. "And Stefan. Time for hell on Earth."

All four of them enter the school, walking down the hall. Rebekah spots Stefan and eyes him up and down. She bites her lip and gives him her best smile. If Elena was a cartoon, there'd be steam coming out of her ears. Bonnie whispers quiet enough so no one else can hear her except the three of them. "Stay away from Rebekah Mikaelson if you know what's good for you." Stefan scoffs. "She can't be _that_ bad. I've met worse." Bonnie raises an eyebrow at Stefan. "Trust me, you haven't met Rebekah." Stefan squints his eyes, catching a final glimpse of her. "Oh, I have. I've dated a Rebekah Mikaelson. A version of her, anyway." This makes Elena frown. If his type is the pretty, popular girl, she's screwed. _Maybe it's for the best? I just decided yesterday that I didn't want to date anybody. And I don't even know if he feels the same about me._ Elena checks her nails, pretending to be uninterested. But Bonnie doesn't mind filling him in. "She may be pretty, but under all that makeup is an evil-." Stefan's eyes widen, "I take it you two don't get along?" Before Elena can answer, Bonnie says, "She's always had a problem with Elena for some reason." Caroline leans in closer to feel included in the conversation. "Maybe she's jealous of you." Elena laughs out loud at the idea. The bell rings, and Elena lets Stefan know that they should leave. "Time for Ms. Collet's class. We better get going. She doesn't like it when people are late." Stefan breathes in and out, preparing himself. "Good idea. I wouldn't want to make a bad impression on my first day." Elena shakes her head, "I'm sure you won't." Before they start walking they smile at each other, probably for a little too long.

When they enter the class, they find three seats open in the middle of the room. Stefan takes one seat, and Elena takes the one next to it right as Rebekah is about to sit there. "Um, excuse me?" Elena looks up to Rebekah. "I was about to sit here." Instead of ignoring Rebekah or trying to be nice, Elena decides to stick up for herself for once. "Well, I'm in it." Rebekah's mouth opens in disbelief. "Listen, Gilbert-" Elena was ready to tell her off when Stefan interrupts them saying, "I asked her to stick by me for the day. I'm new here." Rebekah fixes her hair, and places her hand on her hip. "Trust me, I know you are." She walks away as if she's on a catwalk, making Elena pinch her lips together. Ms. Collet walks into the classroom, bringing Elena back into reality. "Bonjour, classe. Glad to see everyone is here today. Sorry I'm late." Stefan leans closer to Elena, "Look who's late. Guess the tables have turned?" They both start to laugh, making Rebekah roll her eyes. _That was a horrible joke, but at least she laughed,_ Stefan thought to himself.

* * *

Elena classes weren't too bad today. Probably because Stefan was in them. She only had English with Bonnie, which made school pretty boring other than when she got to see her at lunch. Besides, it was just nice to have a new friend. They meet with Bonnie and Caroline outside of the cafeteria and get in line for lunch. Once they get their food, they find a table and sit together. Bonnie tries her best to give Caroline and Elena a friendly smile, but it kind of creeps everyone out. "How was class, everyone?" Caroline knows Bonnie's trying, so she quickly chimes in. "I already have a paper due this week." Bonnie's smile fades as she wrinkles her nose. "Gross." She then turns to Stefan and Elena. "How about you two?" Elena takes her fork and slams it into a piece of corn. "It wasn't all that bad until Rebekah tried taking my seat in French class. I don't know what I did to make her hate me so much." Bonnie pauses before responding to Elena. "Maybe Caroline's right. Maybe she is jealous of you." Elena almost spits out her food. _Now Bonnie thinks that too?_ "Yeah, that's it. She's jealous of my small house and lack of a social life." Bonnie shrugs her shoulders before responding, "It's possible!" Elena doesn't feel that hungry anymore. The more she thinks about Rebekah, the more her stomach hurts. "She's just your typical popular girl. Looks like a model, is beyond wealthy, athletic-"

"And a total bitch." Bonnie adds with no remorse. Caroline takes a bite out of her jello as she says, "Not all popular girls are mean." Bonnie scoffs. "What, were you one?" Caroline is silent, focusing on the food in front of her. Stefan can tell that his sister is uncomfortable, so he intervenes. "Caroline and my ex were pretty popular." Bonnie can imagine Caroline being well liked at her old school. She's perky, sociable, and pretty. But if Stefan's ex was anything like Rebekah, then she doesn't understand why he was with her in the first place. Being Bonnie, she had to find out more information. She leans in and asks, "I almost forgot about her. What's her name?" Stefan breathes in heavily. He hasn't said her name in a long time, mostly because he was nervous to remember all the memories that came with it. "Katherine." Bonnie makes light of the situation by lifting her eyebrows. Elena shouldn't care about this, but she just had to know. "Were you, Stefan? Popular, I mean." Before he can reply, Caroline answers with a confident, "Yes. Stefan was the star quarterback at our old school. And Katherine was head cheerleader. You know how that goes." Elena sure did. That was her exact relationship with Matt. She wondered why it didn't work out for Stefan either. Stefan scratches the back of his neck, "How about we talk about something else? Besides, none of that stuff matters. In ten years, no one will care who was popular and who wasn't." _Stefan's right. It shouldn't matter_. Elena nods at him with a small smile, and she couldn't help but blush when he smiled back.


	6. Chapter 6

Stefan and Caroline had been at Mystic Falls High for a week now, and fit in as if they had always gone there. They even scored an invitation to Rebekah Mikaelson's party. "Stefan. Caroline. You should both come to my party tonight!" Rebekah handed them both an envelope that contained her address and time to arrive. She was smiling so hard that it made Elena cringe. Caroline became hesitant, looking at Elena for approval. When Elena gave her a nod letting her know that it was okay, Caroline sighed with relief. But Stefan wouldn't give in that easy. "I'll go. If Elena will." Both Rebekah and Elena say in unison, "What?" Stefan lifted up a finger to add another name, "Oh, and Bonnie too of course." Elena thought it was a kind gesture, well actually she didn't really know what to think of it. _Why does he want me there? Does he feel bad for me?_ One thing she knew for sure was how much she didn't want to be on Rebekah's bad side. Stefan handed back his invitation, making Caroline returns her's too. As much as Caroline wanted to go, she remembered how kind Elena had been to her and her brother, making her decision to decline much easier to do. Stefan picks up a french fry from his plate, holding it as he tells Rebekah, "Sorry. But we won't be attending unless Elena and Bonnie are invited." He puts the french fry in his mouth with a smile. Elena could not believe what happened next. Rebekah rolled her eyes, grabbing two extra invitations for Elena and Bonnie. Stefan and Caroline stand to throw out their garbage, happy to see Rebekah changed her mind. As they leave the table, Elena takes the invitation from Rebekah's hand, unable to comprehend what has happened.

Rebekah leans in close to Elena, making sure that no one else could hear her. "You better not think that this makes us friends, Gilbert. You're only invited because Stefan wanted you there. And don't even think of making a move. He's mine." She walks away before Elena can reply. _I can't believe her._ Elena tries to compose herself before Stefan and Caroline come back, but nothing works. They both noticed how tense she is and ask what's wrong. "Did she say something?" Caroline doesn't break eye contact with Elena in order to see if she's lying. Elena gave them both the best fake laugh she could as she reassured them, "No. She just makes me nervous. You guys should go tonight. I think I'll stay home." Stefan sits so close to her that she can smell his cologne. "I'm not going if you won't. I want you there. I think we are both in need of some fun. And I won't take no for an answer. So, what do you say?" How could she say no now? "Fine. I'll go." Caroline clapped lightly as she jumped up and down saying, "Yay! This will be so fun. You won't regret it, Elena. I promise."

Later that night, Elena couldn't figure out what to wear, so she called Bonnie to come help. They went through Elena's entire closet, but she found nothing. "Elena, seriously? Just pick something cute and you'll be fine. This isn't your first party." Sure it wasn't, but Elena wanted to look good. No, not just good, _really_ good. It had been awhile since her last party, so she wanted to make this count. "I know, I know. You're right. I just want to look good tonight." Bonnie looks in her bag, pulling out a red dress shirt that revealed a little more than Elena was used to. "How about this? You'd look hot in it!" She wiggled her eyebrows as she imagined Stefan's face when he'd see her best friend in this. Elena reached for the shirt but immediately hesitated. "I don't know, Bonnie-"

"Elena, if you don't wear this shirt, you are no longer my best friend." Elena laughed in amusement until she realized that Bonnie was being completely serious. _What the hell, it's not like I have anything else to wear._ "Okay, I'll wear it." Bonnie ran and hugged Elena, handing the shirt after letting her go out of her grip. "I bet Stefan will love it." The more Elena thought about him, the more anxious she became. Elena takes off her original outfit and puts on the shirt with black jeans and ankle boots. "We'll see, B. Ready to go?" Bonnie nods and the girls head downstairs to walk to Rebekah's. Mystic Falls is a small town, so pretty much everyone's home is in walking distance. "Good thing we don't have to drive tonight." Bonnie said with a smile. Elena wondered how she'd get home tonight, but decided that it's something she can decide on later.

They arrive and find Caroline quickly, but Stefan is nowhere to be seen. Elena looks around the living room, frustrated since it's full of people. Caroline notices Elena's actions and being her, has to make a comment. "Looking for my brother?" She's has never been the subtle type. Caroline can see something going on between Stefan and Elena, but who knows what will happen? He hasn't dated anyone since Katherine. Elena starts to run her hand through her hair to help her act more nonchalant. "No, I thought Matt might be here." It was a stupid excuse, but thankfully Caroline seemed to buy it. Caroline furrowed her brows in confusion as she asked, "Who's Matt?" _Sometimes I forget Caroline's new around here_. Bonnie leans in and says a little too loudly, "Elena's ex boyfriend!" _LET'S SAY IT LOUD ENOUGH SO EVERYBODY CAN HEAR_! Caroline decides to speak louder too, "So you probably know how Stefan feels then, huh?" Elena tilted her head to the side. Did she really understand? Sure, they both have their exes, but Stefan's situation was completely different.

Elena couldn't handle her jitters anymore. She needed to stop worrying about her family, Rebekah, and especially Stefan. She looks over at a football player next to her and takes his drink from his hand. He is about to punch whoever took his beer until he sees that it's a girl. "What the hell!" He shuts up when she takes a big gulp, telling him, "Trust me, I need this way more than you do." He just shakes his head and walks into the kitchen to get another. Bonnie touches Elena's shoulder to get her attention. "Hey, take it easy tonight, okay?" But this only makes Elena want another drink. She walks into the kitchen where she spots Stefan. Elena wants to just walk over to him and say hi. It isn't that hard. Just be normal. She takes one step forward and is pushed to the side by Rebekah, almost spilling her drink on herself. Rebekah turns her head and smirks at Elena, letting her know that she pushed her on purpose. Elena knows that the only way to talk to Stefan is when they're alone, so she decides to give up and get drunk instead.

By the end of the night, Elena was pretty wasted. She danced with Bonnie and Caroline for a little bit but didn't feel too well. Bonnie noticed this and told her, "Maybe you should sit this song out. You don't look so good." Elena nodded, worried that if she spoke she'd throw up. She moved past the crowd of people and went upstairs, hoping to find a bed or couch. She walks into a study and is thankful no one is in it. Elena sits down and closes her eyes, breathing in and out. She is about to fall asleep when she hears another voice in the room. "Elena?" Her breath catches as she opens her eyes, shocked to find Stefan standing in front of her. "Can you close the door? It's so loud down there." He starts to chuckle while closing the door softly. "You okay?" She nods, even giving him a soft smile. "I saw you come up here and got a little worried. I didn't know if something was wrong?"

"I'm fine. Just annoyed I guess." Stefan is silent, which makes her feel like she has to say more. "Okay, fine. It's Rebekah. She's so mean, and no one even cares. Especially boys. All they care about is the fact that she's hot. But what makes me the angriest is that in a way, I wish I was her. She's everything I'm not." She didn't want the last part to be true, but it is. Stefan sits next to her on the couch, making sure not to get too close. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable.

"You want my honest opinion, Elena?" _Oh god_. Although the idea terrified her, she nods her head, giving him permission to speak his mind. "I think that's a good thing. She probably wouldn't do anything unless it benefitted herself. I know I haven't known you for all that long, but you seem like you'd do something even for nothing in return." Elena looks away from Stefan, afraid that he will see her blushing. "She may be pretty, Elena. But there's not much goin' on for her other than that." Elena then asked him a question that always bugged her. "Would you take someone that's nice over someone that's good looking?" Stefan's forehead started to wrinkle as he thought of a response to her question. When he came up with one, he said, "I guess it depends. Looks only last for so long. But personality is important. It's what makes a relationship worthwhile." Elena runs her hand through her hair, trying to come up with an answer. "I guess you're right. I don't know why I even asked you that. I'm not really myself right now." She lays on the couch, having no problem putting her feet on his legs. If she were sober, it'd be a whole different story. Stefan mouth gapes open with surprise, but he closes it before she notices. "Well you're pretty lucky if you ask me." She laughs before she starts to drift asleep, "And why do you say that?"

"Cause you're both." She lifts her body up so fast that she almost feels sick. "Are you as drunk as I am?" This really makes him laugh. "No, I don't drink much anymore. I'm just being honest. You sure you're feeling better?" Elena turns around, clearing her throat as she answers, "Much better." Stefan smiles too and opens the door for her. "Do you need a ride home?" _Shit. Home._ "Ugh. I should have thought this through." Stefan puts his hand to his chin, trying to come up with a solution. Nothing. "Let's go find Bonnie. I'm sure she'll have an idea." As Elena walks down the stairs she starts to fall, but Stefan grabs her hand and pulls her close. They both don't know what to say. All they can do is stare at each other. No time for this, Elena. Find Bonnie and go home. She flattens out her outfit with her hands and tells him that she's fine. "Thanks for saving me, Stefan." She hasn't seen him smile that big since he got to Mystic Falls. It made her feel… Good. "It was no big deal." They're interrupted when Caroline runs up to them yelling, "Hey you two! Leaving already?" Stefan nods. "I am. You got a way home Caroline?" She holds onto the railing to keep her balance. "Yes, dad. Elena are you staying? Bonnie was looking for you." Elena shakes her head no. "I feel kinda shitty, so I'm gonna figure something out." Caroline frowns, but it disappears when she hears her favorite song playing. "Okay. Well I gotta go but I'm glad I got to see you!" Caroline gives Elena a hug and runs away, making both Stefan and Elena laugh until Rebekah stands in front of them. "Where are you going, Stefan? I thought we could get to know each other better." She puts her hand on his chest, but he quickly removes it.

"I gotta get home. But thanks for inviting us." He looks at Elena and gives her a light smile. _Maybe coming here was worth it afterall_. Rebekah rolls her eyes and decides to leave him alone. She'll get him next time. Elena and Stefan leave the party and Elena pauses when she sees Stefan's car. "This is your's?" He nods proudly as he tells her, "Yep. A 1963 Porsche. I love it like it's my own child." She giggles as she puts her hand on the passenger side door. Stefan puts his hand on hers and she feels that electricity she felt the first time they met. She removes her hand again, nervous that she's revealing too much. "Sorry. I just wanted to open the door for you." He opens it and waits until she gets inside to close it. Before he gets in the car, she lets out a cute little shriek. He buckles his seatbelt, and she does too. "Am I taking you to your house?" Elena put her head in her hands, remembering how much trouble she'd be in if she went home. "If my parents saw me like this they'd never let me out again." Stefan taps the steering wheel with his fingers, trying to come up with an idea. Elena noticed that he almost always used his hands when he was thinking. "You could sleep with me?" _WHAT?!_ Elena couldn't believe what she just heard, and her face lets Stefan know this.

"I mean sleep at my house! You can sleep at my house for the night." She sighs in relief. She got worried there for a second. Sure he was cute, but she hardly knew him. "Wouldn't your family care if some random girl's snoring on your couch?" Stefan shakes his head as if she's speaking nonsense. "My parents are visiting my sister in LA, and Caroline won't care. Also, you're not some random girl. And wait, you snore?" Elena says, "No, I don't snore. I don't think I do, anyway. Whatever. My point is I don't want to bother anyone." He starts his car and pulls it out of the parking spot. "You wouldn't be bothering anyone. So? What do you say?" Elena ponders on the thought. She and Stefan could get closer tonight, but what if she makes a fool out of herself? "Maybe." He turns to look at her before looking back at the road. "Maybe?!" Elena nods as she tells him, "You heard me, Stefan. Maybe." He stops the car and looks right into her eyes. "Look, I just want to know that you'll be safe. I can take you back to the party if you-" Elena blurts out, "Fin e I'll sleep with you. I- I mean I'll sleep at your house. With you there. Cause it's your house and all." She rests her hand on her forehead. Idiot. "Sounds good." Stefan tries his best to hide his smirk, but it's impossible.

When Stefan pulls up to his house, he looks over at Elena while she admires the stars and the moon. He smiles at her shyly until she looks in his direction. "You ready?" Stefan starts to get anxious as he nods. Elena unbuckles her seatbelt while Stefan runs out of his door to reach her's in time, opening it for her. She's a bit wobbly from drinking, but sobered up on the drive home. He starts to grab her waist, helping her stand up straight. But she immediately reacted, telling him "I can walk on my own, Stefan." Stefan doesn't want to argue since they were having such a good night, so he lets go of her. She takes it slow until she builds the confidence to pick up the pace. She makes it to the front lawn before falling over. "Elena!" Stefan runs to her, worried that she's hurt, but she laughs it off. "I'm okay, I'm okay." Stefan shakes his head, "You know if you were sober, you wouldn't find this as funny. Let's get you inside." Elena nods and takes Stefan's hand to help her up. She thinks he's going to let go, but he doesn't. He guides her to his front door and opens it for her. When she walks in she's amazed. It's extremely modern, different from the traditional houses in Mystic Falls. All of the walls in the are white with black furniture complementing them. Elena starts to lay on the couch until Stefan stops her.

"You're not sleeping on the couch! You can use our guest bedroom upstairs. Come on, I'll show you." Elena stands and follows him up the stairs. He leads her to a room and realizes that it's Caroline's. Elena takes her time as she admires all of Caroline's awards and pictures. She stops when she sees a picture of Stefan, Caroline and a beautiful girl in the middle. Her long, brown curly hair makes Elena touch her straight hair in jealousy. The picture had to be taken only a few years ago since Stefan and Caroline look the same as they do now. Elena looks to her right and sees a picture of a happy family- a big one too. Elena took note of each child, trying to figure out who was who. There was a boy with black shaggy hair and bright blue eyes, a girl with auburn hair and green eyes, like Stefan's, a cute little blonde, "Caroline". And then there were two boys on the end. She spotted Stefan immediately, with his sandy brown hair and beautiful eyes. The other boy looked more like the oldest brother, except he had brown eyes. She's never seen him before. _Maybe he lives in California too._ "I just texted Caroline. She said you can borrow these." Stefan throws some pajamas on the bed. Elena turns away from the picture and smiles when she sees a Justin Bieber shirt on the bed with cute shorts to go with them. "I would have guessed the shirt was your's." Stefan points his index finger at Elena saying, "You know people say that we kind of look alike?" Elena widens her eyes in fake surprise. "Really?" Stefan nods, walking towards her slowly. "Yup. Except they say I'm sexier." He winks at her, making Elena laugh out loud. "The real question is, can you sing?"

"God no. I'm awful. Caroline's pretty good though." He's about to walk away when he turns quickly towards her. "Let me know when you're done changing. I want to show you something if you aren't too tired." Stefan waves goodbye and he pulls on the door softly. When a few minutes passed, Stefan knocked on the door, making sure not to peek through the crack of it. Elena opens it with a smile, spinning around playfully. Her hair falls on her shoulders and Stefan can't help but stare. "Well? How do I look?" She places her hands on her hips, waiting for his reply. "You look like you're ready for bed." Elena rolls her eyes as he tells her, "I'm kidding. You look… Great, actually." Her lips part, and he scratches the back of his neck, trying to fight off his nerves. "Come on, I have to show you something, remember?" Elena nods and follows him down the stairs. He takes her to the backyard and stops in front of some pillows and blankets on the grass. She starts to laugh, "Wasn't the whole point of getting ready inside staying inside?" Stefan scoffed, "What's the fun in that? It's a beautiful night, perfect weather if you ask me. And I know for a fact you couldn't stop staring at the sky earlier." Elena smiles shyly, looking away from his direction. "Okay, fine. Just for a little bit though. I don't know if my back can handle sleeping on grass." Stefan puts his hand out and she shakes it firmly as he says, "Deal."

Stefan and Elena end up talking for hours. Every once and awhile they'd look up at the sky at point at the stars. Eventually Elena starts to fall asleep, resting her head on Stefan's shoulders. He looks down at her and decides to bring her inside. Even though she looks so peaceful, he knows she'd much rather wake up in a bed than on the ground. He gently removes her head from his shoulder and picks her up. As he carries her Elena mumbles, "Didn't know you were so strong, Salvatore." Stefan looks at her through his peripherals and says, "There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Gilbert. Go back to sleep." He opens the door and even though he can't see her anymore he knows that she rolled her eyes. Stefan heads to the guest room and lays her down on the bed. He tries his best not to wake her, but her eyes open slightly. "Thank you, for carrying me." He pulls the covers back. "It was no big deal. Move your feet." She obeys, and Stefan puts the covers over her. She turns over on her side, finding the most comfortable way to sleep. He sits next to her after she's finished, and looks into her eyes, unable to stop himself. They stare at each other intently until Elena's eyes close again, enabling her to fall asleep in that moment. Stefan leans in and kisses her forehead, trying to not wake her up. "Goodnight, Elena."

She waits until he is out of her sight to smile, wishing she could just turn around and talk with him more. But she is exhausted, and knows that he probably is too. So she closes her eyes and prepares for tomorrow. Unbeknownst to her, Stefan had trouble sleeping. All he could think about was the time that he spent with Elena, and how much he'd love to do it again. The only thing standing in his way was… Well, he wasn't really sure. Sometimes he thinks it has to do with Katherine. She broke his heart, and he hasn't been sure if he's ready to date again anyway. Besides, after everything that's happened with Dylan, Stefan is a different person. What if Elena hated me? I don't think I could bear that. He realizes that they've only known each other for a short while, but he can't shake the feeling that she's meant to be in his life- as a friend, or maybe something more. Just go to sleep already. Stefan breathes in and out, counting his breaths and eventually falls asleep to the relaxing exercise.

Stefan knocks on the door, letting Elena know that he's coming in. She quickly fixes her hair the best she can and rests her back on the board behind the bed. "You can come in." When he does, he isn't sure what to say- and neither is she. So they just smile shyly. "Are you… Hungry?" Stefan asked. Even though Elena would want nothing more than to sleep in, the thought of food gives her motivation to get out of bed. "Very." Stefan gives her two thumbs up, "Great. I'll make you some breakfast!" They both head downstairs to the kitchen where they're greeted by Caroline. Elena rubs her eyes, trying her best to wake up. Stefan takes his hand and runs it through his messy hair. Caroline observes them both carefully as she says, "You guys look tired" Stefan and Elena look at each other, unsure of how to respond. Stefan clears his throat, "Yeah. I, uh- didn't get that much sleep last night." Caroline directs her attention to Elena, who replies, "Me either." Caroline starts to eye them both suspiciously, but decides to give up since she knows they both won't talk- until they're alone, anyway. Caroline changes the subject, "What are you making us for breakfast today, Stef?" Stefan takes out a loaf of bread from the pantry, "French toast." Caroline pouts, crossing her arms in anger. "Ugh. You always make French toast. Can't you learn to make something else?"

"Can't you learn to cook?" Stefan's question annoys Caroline beyond belief, mainly because he knows that she's awful at it. Elena laughs at their bickering. It reminded her of Ellie and Jeremy. She decides to chime in. "I can make eggs and bacon if you have any?" Caroline looks at Elena with a smirk, "That's a great idea, Elena. Maybe throw in some pancakes if you feel like it?" Stefan's death stare makes Caroline wish she never mentioned pancakes in the first place, but Elena tries to make her feel better. "That sounds great, Caroline. Just get me the batter." Caroline raises her eyebrows at Stefan, happy to get a laugh out of him. When Elena is done with the food, she puts it on the table. "Wow, Elena. This looks awesome." Elena blushes at his compliment. "Thank you, Stefan." She puts a piece of hair behind her ear before taking a piece of bacon. Caroline rubs her hands together, trying to decide where she should start. "Anything's better than French-" Stefan rolls his eyes, "Yeah, yeah. You're sick of French toast, we get it." Caroline sticks her tongue out at him, making Elena giggle. Throughout breakfast they share funny stories as they eat their meal, and Stefan and Elena give each other looks that make both of their stomachs flip.


	7. Chapter 7

**JOURNAL ENTRY #2**

 **9/28 2:15pm**

 **Rebekah's party wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got drunk off my ass, danced almost the entire night, and didn't even end up with a hangover. But I _did_ end up spending the night at Stefan's. No, nothing happened. I had breakfast at his house the next morning. Caroline was with us too, and yet somehow, it felt as if we were the only people in the room. I'm grinning from ear to ear just thinking about him. **

"What are you smiling at?" Bonnie lifts an eyebrow at Elena, causing her to close her journal quickly. She loved Bonnie, but she wasn't really sure about her feelings for Stefan, and didn't need Bonnie watching analyzing their every move. "None of your business." Elena gets off her bed and puts her journal in her top desk drawer. She turns and sees Bonnie deep in thought. "Everything okay?" Bonnie nods, but her face gives it all away. "Bonnie, what's wrong?"

"I didn't want to tell you. I didn't wanna tell anyone. But I have to get this off my chest. Grams is sick, and she hasn't really gotten any better. My parents wanted me to keep it a secret so Grams didn't have to have people pity her. I guess it's what she wants right now." Bonnie breaks down crying and lunges towards Elena for support. Both the girls sit in silence, but it doesn't bother Elena. She wouldn't even know what to say. Bonnie is one of the strongest people she's ever met, and the fact that Bonnie feels so helpless breaks her heart. After Bonnie's calmed down, Elena tells her, "I'm so sorry, Bonnie." She kisses her best friend's head as she rubs her back, trying to comfort her somehow.

"Can you please tell me what happened with Stefan now?" Bonnie tries her best to give Elena an eager grin. Elena smiles back and thinks about the night before. "There isn't much to tell honestly." Bonnie shakes her head, knowing that there's something Elena isn't mentioning. "Elena, I've known you since we were babies. Spit it out."

"We just talked!"

"And?"

"And… It was really nice." Elena starts to blush. "He also made breakfast. Well, I sort of helped, but still." Bonnie smiles at her as she says sarcastically, "Sounds like quite the gentleman."

"There's something about him, B. I don't know what." Elena's cheeks started to hurt from smiling so much, but she didn't care. It was nice to get all of this off her chest, especially since she hadn't told Doctor Fell about Stefan yet. "Is Elena Gilbert in love?" This comment got Elena to hit Bonnie with her pillow. "No! I just have a crush. What's wrong with a harmless crush?" Bonnie shakes her head no. "Nothing. I just never saw you this way with Matt before."

"I've known Matt and everything about him my whole life. I think in a way, there was nothing else to learn, so it made things... Boring."

"Well, Stefan doesn't seem very 'boring' to me so I guess you have nothing to worry about."

* * *

Stefan decides to head over to Damon's work for some brotherly advice. As he is walking, he can't help but think about the time he and Elena had spent together. He hasn't felt this happy since he was with Katherine, and that's saying something. But he still had his doubts. _Maybe I'm rushing things. Maybe I'm in over my head._ The more thoughts came to his head, the more anxious he started to feel. He finally arrives at the auto shop and walks through the door, yelling for his brother. "Damon! You around?"

"Yes, brother. Just give me a minute." Damon greets Stefan with a hug, and makes sure to give his little brother a noogie as well.

"Knock it off!"

"What? You don't want me to mess with your luscious locks?"

"I work hard on my hair. Maybe you should try it."

Damon places his hand on his heart, as if Stefan's words actually wound him. "Careful, Stef, or you'll wake up with a buzzcut one of these days." Stefan backs away from his brother, "You win. For now." Damon flashes his famous smirk, making Stefan roll his eyes. "So, what do you need, little brother?" Damon places his elbows on the counter, ready to listen. "Advice. I've been hanging out with this girl, and-"

"A girl? That isn't Katherine? Never thought I'd see the day." Stefan shrugs at his brother's shock, "We've become pretty good friends, and I like that. But I can't help feeling like there might be more to my feelings. Do you get what I'm saying?" Damon shakes his head at Stefan, "Just give it time. I've been through this before. You think you like someone and then when you're finally with them... It's nothing like you thought. You enjoy hanging out with her, right?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then keep things normal. Don't make things more complicated for yourself. Is there anyone else that you're worried about?" Stefan shakes his head no. "I think a girl at my school likes me. Rebekah Mikaelson. She makes it kind of obvious." Damon tenses up immediately after hearing Rebekah's name. When Stefan notices this, he furrows his brows. "Everything okay?" Damon starts to laugh nervously, hoping to seem nonchalant. "Just be careful with her. She's crazy."

"And how would you know?"

"It's a small town. Besides, I know her brothers. The whole family's full of whack jobs." Damon didn't seem like he was in the mood to be asked any other questions, so Stefan changes the subject. "Mom was thinking of having you over for dinner soon." Damon runs his hand through his long, shaggy hair. "Really? And how does dad feel about that?"

"Does it matter? Come on, you know how much it'd mean to her."

"I'm not sure dad or _Caroline_ would be too thrilled to have my company."

"You don't have to answer right now. Just think about it. If she calls, I hope you say yes." Damon doesn't answer, but Stefan knows that it isn't because he's ignoring him. Damon wants to be closer with his family- he and Stefan have discussed it before. But Damon's relationship with his father has always been more than complicated, and he didn't know if it was possible to fix. "I'll think about it, Stef. You should probably get going. I don't want you to get in trouble again." Stefan nods, giving his brother some space. "I'll come by next week so I can finally start that job you were talking about." Damon gives his brother a thumbs up. Stefan heads for the door, pushing it open. _Why did he act so weird about Rebekah? Is there something he isn't telling me?_

* * *

After Bonnie left, Elena didn't leave her room for hours. She was dying of boredom, and needed to get out of the house. She pulls out her phone and looks through her contacts. When she sees Stefan's name on the screen, her eyes light up. She starts to type, trying to come up with the best text to send. She'll write something, read it to herself, and shake her head no as she erased it quickly. _If I keep this up I'll be sitting here all night._ She types again and sends a message.

 ** _E: You busy?_**

She falls on her bed, waiting for his reply. When she hears her text tone go off, she jumps up to get her phone. She opens the text.

 ** _S: I was actually just about to get myself some ice cream. Want to come?_**

She pauses for a moment, relaxing before she replies.

 ** _E: Yeah, that sounds good._**

 ** _S: Great. I'll pick you up in 15._**

Elena heads for her closet to find a cute outfit to wear. She checks her makeup in the mirror- nothing too complicated. She always went with mascara and eyeshadow. 15 minutes felt like a lifetime, but she eventually heard a honk outside. While heading downstairs, her mom asked, "Where are you going?" Elena grabbed her jacket from the floor and put it on before opening the front door, "Out with a friend. Love you!" She slams the door shut before her mom can say anything in response. She walks out of her house to find Stefan leaning against his car, waiting to open the door for her. "You know you don't have to do this every time, right, Salvatore?" Stefan nods as he opens it. "Yeah. But I like it, Gilbert." He closes the door and gets into the driver's seat. Before he leaves his parking space, he turns on the radio, making sure it isn't too loud so he can hear Elena when she talks. "How's your night been?" He looks at her quickly, making sure to still pay attention to the road. "Not too bad. Went to visit my brother, and did some of the history homework." Elena's eyes widen. "We had history homework?" Stefan starts to laugh, "You forgot, huh? That's okay. I'll send you the answers when I get home."

Stefan pulls into the parking lot and parks his car. Elena opens the door as soon as the car stops so Stefan doesn't have to. She smiles proudly when she waits for him to get out of the driver's seat. "I thought I should get it out of my system." Elena crosses her arms in defiance, making Stefan chuckle. He takes his arm and puts his around her, "Let's just get some ice cream." They walk into _Scoop's_ , one of Mystic Fall's oldest places to eat. Elena smiles to herself as she thinks of her memories here. She, Ellie, and Jeremy would _beg_ their parents to take them there, and every time they'd go, Elena would get two scoops of cookies n' cream on a cone. And that's exactly what she ordered with Stefan. He nods in approval before ordering his own,"I'll take two scoops of cookie dough, please." After taking out his wallet and paying for their cones, they both find a booth to sit in. They eat in silence, wondering who will speak first. "Tell me about yourself, Stefan." Elena licks her ice cream cone as she lifts her eyebrows.

"You know a lot about me already, Elena."

"Not true."

Stefan takes a moment to think about what he could say. "Well, back in LA, I played football- varsity."

"Of course you did."

Stefan acts as if he's offended, "And what do you mean by that?"

Elena laughs to herself, "Just forget I said anything. You were saying?"

"Right. Before you so rudely interrupted me, I played football. But I kind of lost the love I had for it over the last year or so." Stefan looks down at his hands, focusing on his knuckles. "Was it cause of your ex-girlfriend?" _I wish that was the only reason why._ "Sort of. There was more to it than that, unfortunately." Elena nods, somewhat understanding. She knows that if Stefan wanted to open up more, he would have, so she doesn't press him any further. "What's her name again?" Elena remembered her name clearly, she just didn't want to seem creepy.

"Katherine Pierce."

 _Fancy name._ "What's she like? Sorry, is this too personal?" Stefan shakes his head. "No, it's okay. I wasn't kidding when I said she was like Rebekah Mikaelson. Except… she was different. Sometimes she could get self absorbed or impatient, but deep down, I always knew she was a good person. She knew how to make you feel special, and important. That had to be one of the things I liked most about her."

"I think I saw a picture of her in Caroline's room. She's beautiful."

Stefan takes a deep breath. "She is. I thought she was the love of my life. I get that I was only maybe fifteen or sixteen when we started dating, but I always thought she was the one- that she _had_ to be the one. How could I get so lucky? All the guys at school wanted her. Even the guys coming back from college wanted her, too."

Elena nods, unsure of what to say. "So, what happened?"

"Something changed between us. It was my fault, but I didn't want to admit it. We both did some things that we regret, and hurt each other pretty badly."

Elena rests her hand on Stefan's as she says, "Stefan, that's awful." He feels like his whole face is turning red. His nerves are getting the best of him. Elena takes her hand off of his, feeling as if she's done something wrong. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No! You did nothing wrong. It was nice, actually." Stefan smiles shyly as he licks his ice cream cone, almost forgetting that it was even there. "You just make me kind of nervous, I guess."

 _I make him nervous? Hard to believe._ Instead of overthinking the situation too much, Elena tried her best to act relaxed."You have nothing to be nervous about. We're just two friends, enjoying some ice cream." Elena smiles at him, and Stefan smiles back.

"You're right. And I deserved what I got after how I treated her. Enough about my life. Let's talk about you."

Stefan looks down at Elena eating the remainder of her cone. "You already finished your ice cream?" Elena nods with a smirk. "You'd be surprised how much I can eat. I probably could have finished two."

"I can get you another one if you want?"

"I'm okay. But thank you." Elena moves a piece of hair behind her ear, looking away from him. "And there's not much about me to tell."

"Oh, come on. Don't give me that! I know you've lived in Mystic Falls all your life. You used to be a cheerleader. You've been friends with Bonnie for as long as you can remember... I told you about me. All I'm asking is to learn some more about you."

"Okay. Fine. Ask away."

"What's your story with Matt?"

"We were best friends, we dated, we broke up."

"Sounds like my situation. From what I saw the day we met, he really seems to care about you. Must be a nice guy."

Elena starts to trace her initials on the table. "That's the thing. Matt... He was nice. But he was also safe. He didn't give me butterflies in the bit of my stomach, or make me feel things I've never felt before." Stefan leans in closer after hearing this. "Like what?" Elena takes a moment to pause before answering. "It's hard to explain. I guess, I was looking for..." Stefan interrupts her before she can say anything else, "Passion?" Elena doesn't know what to say, so Stefan speaks again. "You'll always love Matt, I mean, he's been someone important in your life for as long as you can remember, right? But you wanted something else. You wanted intensity, a feeling that was stronger than just curiosity." Her lips part again, but this time out of shock. "Exactly. I guess we dated mainly because we felt like we owed it to ourselves, you know? We needed to see if it'd work out. If that makes any sense…"

"It makes complete sense. If you never dated him, you would have always wondered what could have been."

"Is that how you felt with Katherine?"

"Honestly? I didn't really like her that way growing up. I never even considered the idea of us actually being together. I always thought she was out of my league." He takes the napkins that they used and throws them out, signaling for them to get going. "You're kidding me, Stefan." He lifts up his hands in defense. "I swear! You didn't know me back then. I was a total loser. And she… She wasn't." _Is that what he really thought of himself? That he wasn't good enough? How could he even think that?_ Stefan was so special, so different from the boys she grew up with. Elena started to feel bad for asking him about Katherine. He looked sad when he thought of her. _She must have really meant something to him._ When Elena gets to the car door, she decides to let him open it for her. "Sure you don't want to open it for yourself, Gilbert?" Elena nods. "I kind of like when you do it, Salvatore." He starts to laugh, which is the reaction she hoped for. Stefan opens her door and races to his own, not wanting to keep her out too late. They sit in silence the car ride home, both still confused about how the other feels. When Stefan reaches Elena's house, he puts the car in park. "I had a nice time tonight, Elena."

"Me too, Stefan. Goodnight." She kissed his cheek and smiled at him "Thanks for listening." She unbuckles her seatbelt and walks to her front door. Before she opens it, she yells, "Don't forget to send me the homework!" He sits there, baffled by what has just happened. He smiles to himself as he leans his head against the headrest. Immediately after Elena closes her front door, someone says "Where were you?" She's surprised to find Ellie sitting on the couch, watching tv. "I was out with my friend." Maybe Elena would tell her sister about Stefan before, but not now. "I'm gonna head up. Goodnight, Ellie." Ellie waves at her sister, too focused on the show she's watching to show any interest. Instead of getting angry at Ellie, Elena decides to just head upstairs and go to sleep.

She felt like no time passed from the night before when she heard a voice in the distance, whispering to her.

"Honey. Elena, wake up."

Elena opens one eye and is surprised to see her mom standing over her. "What time is it?"

"9:00 in the morning. I saw that it was raining and thought you'd like to watch it with me?"

Elena nods before getting out of bed. She grabs her favorite blanket and puts on her slippers, excited to get outside. Watching the rain was something that Elena has always loved; the sound of the raindrops hitting the pavement, the crackling of thunder, and the bright lightening that shined across the sky... It was amazing. Not that she hated nice, sunny days, but sometimes they weren't as relaxing as the rainy ones. Elena and Mrs. Gilbert step outside and sit on the porch swing, setting their coffee down next to them. Elena takes a moment to close her eyes, and use her other senses. She takes a deep breathe, breathing through her nose and out of her mouth. "Is everything alright, Elena?" This pulls her out of her trance. "Yeah. I've just had a lot on my mind." Mrs. Gilbert takes her hand and rubs it up and down Elena's back. "You know you can talk to me whenever, right?" Elena nods, not really wanting to speak. Instead, she takes her mother's hand, giving it a light squeeze. After a few minutes of silence, Elena leans her head on Mrs. Gilbert's shoulder. "I love you, mom." Her mother turns her head over to kiss her daughter's, "I love you too, Elena."

* * *

"I haven't heard from you in a while."

 _Isn't that supposed to be a good thing?_

"I guess I haven't had much of a reason to come back." Elena tries to give her therapist a light smile, but Doctor Fell won't have it. "And why is that?" The question surprises Elena, mostly because she didn't think she'd have to explain it. "Well, I made a new friend. He's really nice, and funny, and... I don't know, I just- I'm glad he's in my life right now. That's what I'm trying to say." Doctor Fell nods, writing on her notepad. "Why are you glad?" _Jesus, how much detail is she making me go into?_ "I'm glad because... We can relate in a lot of ways. From the tidbits he's told me about his life, he seems like he's been through a lot. But if you saw him with his friends, or with his family, you'd never know that. I'm not sure if that means he's actually happy, or if he's just good at pretending, but it's still something I admire about him anyway."

"And how are things with your sister?"

"Rocky. As usual. But I know our relationship can't be fixed in a day, nothing like that can. So for right now, I'm going to give her the space she needs... The space we both need." Doctor Fell nods again, but this time in approval. "That is a wise idea, Elena. How has writing in your journal been?" The mention of her journal makes Elena light up, "You know at first, I was a little hesitant with the whole diary thing, but it's become something that I like to do. I don't write much yet, but it's getting there." Elena couldn't believe it, but she got Doctor Fell to give her a wide smile. "What? Is it something I said?" Doctor Fell shook her head no, telling her, "I just haven't seen you this excited about something before. It's nice." _Maybe Doctor Fell isn't so bad after all. I have to give her more credit next time._ "I have you to thank for that." The timer goes off, signaling that their session is now over. "Well, Elena, I think that we should meet again next week, just for a followup. Unless you have other things that you'll want to discuss." _Let's hope not._ "Right. Of course. I have to get my homework done for school tomorrow, so I'll see you next time." Elena walks out of Doctor Fell's office and sighs in relief, happy to relax for the rest of her Sunday. She pulls out her phone as she walks home, typing a message to Stefan.

 ** _E: Where's the homework, Salvatore?_**

She smiles to herself as she sees his text bubble float in the air, waiting for his reply.

 ** _S: My pictures didn't send? Wow. I guess you'll have to come by and get it._**

Elena wasn't sure how she should respond, so she simply sent

 ** _E: I suppose so. See you in 10!_**

She walks over to Stefan's, and when she finally arrives, she knocks lightly on his front door. A gorgeous woman opens it, greeting Elena with her forest green eyes, her auburn hair, and slim figure. _Is everyone in this family good looking?_ "Hi. Can I help you?" Elena feels as if she's frozen in time. She didn't think she'd end up meeting one of Stefan's parents so soon. _So soon? Elena, you guys aren't even dating._ "Oh, hello. My name's Elena. I'm a friend of Stefan and Caroline's and-"

"Say no more! Come on in, sweetie." Mrs. Salvatore takes Elena by surprise when she places her hand on her shoulder, "It's so nice to finally meet you! I've heard lots about you- good things, of course. Excuse me while I find my freakin' kids." Mrs. Salvatore walks around the house and decides to check the basement. Elena starts to laugh, immediately feeling as if her nerves are disappearing. Elena was good at talking with parents, but she never had it as easy as speaking with Mrs. Salvatore, especially because she hardly had to say anything at all! Both Mrs. Salvatore and Stefan walked up the stairs and smiled at Elena. "Hey. I have the homework in my room. Wanna come with me?" Elena nods. Mrs. Salvatore eventually headed back into the living room before telling Elena, "It was nice to meet you." She hugged Elena, surprising her once again. "You too, Mrs. Salvatore." She then looked at Stefan and he led her upstairs. It's not like she hasn't seen his house before, but she never really got to look at Stefan's room the last time she was there, so she wasn't sure what to expect. When they finally arrive, Elena is shocked to see a bookcase containing all sorts of novels. There are no pictures surrounding the space, unlike Caroline's, and Stefan notices this. "I know, it's a little plain. I'm still figuring out what to do. I want to put stuff in here that will mean something to me." Elena nodded in understanding, "I'm sure you'll figure it out." Stefan approaches his desk which is neat and organized, very different from Elena's desk at home. "You can sit on my bed if you want." And that is what Elena does. "Oh my God. This is so soft." Stefan smiles as he nods his head, "I get the best sleep on there." His smile starts to shrink, "Well, when I can sleep, anyway." He continues to look for the homework and lifts up his fist when he finds it. He turns to Elena and bows down in front of her saying, "Here you are, Gilbert." She can't help but laugh as she takes the papers from his hand. "Thank you, Stefan. You've saved me from another one of Mr. Tanner's lectures."

"It's no problem." Caroline runs into the room, grabbing Elena's arm. "Elena! I didn't know you were here."

"Yeah, Stefan was helping me out with something for school."

"Of course he was. Stefan, we're going to have to develop some pictures or something so you can spruce this room up. It's kind of depressing."

"As soon as I take some pictures, you can help me. How's that sound, Caroline?"

Caroline nodded with approval, "Sounds good to me. I'll be your interior decorator! Okay, well I'll leave you two alone. Bye, Elena!" She waved goodbye and walked right into her own room. When Caroline leaves, Elena isn't sure what to say, so she just gets up and tells him that she should get going. Stefan walks her downstairs to his door and they look at each other silently. Elena takes a piece of her hair and tucks it behind her ear. "So, I'll see you at school tomorrow?" Stefan opens his door, letting her step out of it. "Yes you will."

"Okay, great. I'll see you soon."

"See you soon, Elena."

He closes the door and smiles to himself. _I'll see you soon._

* * *

 **So to anyone who is still reading this or just got started, I know that it may be hard to understand, but this is my first story and I'm not entirely sure where I should go with it just yet. I have ideas for things that could happen later on, but trying to come up with stuff before them is harder than I thought. Anyway, I hope you can still understand what's happening in the story, and to anyone who is giving it a chance I'd like to say thank you so much!**


	8. Chapter 8

The next day at school was about as normal as usual for Stefan. He had gotten barely any sleep the night before, mostly due to the same dreams that always keep him up at night. _More like nightmares._ All he could think about was Dylan, and it made him sick to his stomach. But who could he talk to? He didn't want to burden his family with his thoughts, especially since everyone has been in such a good place. That's why he writes in his journal; the only place where he could be truly honest with himself. He ended up writing for hours and fell asleep right as his alarm went off. Stefan tried his best to stay awake in his classes, but he eventually _did_ fall asleep, and in the worst place possible- Mr. Tanner's history class. Stefan jolts up when he feels his desk being kicked by none other than Mr. Tanner himself. His teacher smiles widely, happy that he finally got Stefan's attention. "Class, this is what will happen when you fall asleep during one of my many important lectures. Stay awake, Mr. Salvatore, or I'm sending you to Principal Steven's office." Stefan wipes some of the drool that was on his cheek as he nods. "My apologies, Mr. Tanner. Won't happen again." He then looks over at his classmate's desk and opens his textbook to the correct page. He looks out the window and sees Elena staring at him. She mouths, "Is everything okay?" Stefan nods at her in reply, not wanting to get either of them in trouble.

Once history ends, Elena and Stefan walk to their lockers, ready to take on their next class. She's surprised when she sees Matt standing in front of her, not letting her get out of his way. "Hey. Can we, uh, talk?" He looks back and forth at Elena and Stefan, trying to figure out what their relationship is. He starts to feel uncomfortable when Stefan stares at him in anger, so he focuses back on Elena instead. She isn't sure why Stefan seems so upset, but just decides to ignore it. "Yeah, sure." Elena and Matt walk closer to her locker so that she can get her books while they talk. Stefan moves away from them, not wanting to interfere. "I'll see you at lunch, Elena." She nods, trying to focus her attention on Matt. Stefan looks at Matt one last time before leaving them to talk. It's been so long since they last spoke, and Elena was really starting to miss him. She turns her lock to different numbers, trying to figure out her combination. "Ugh!" Elena slams her fist into the locker, making Matt laugh. "You can't remember, huh?" She scrunches her nose at him saying, "Don't act like you haven't forgotten your's before." He nods, not wanting to talk back at her. "It's 25-13-26." She tilts her head to the side, unsure of his answer, but she tries it anyway. Sure enough, it actually worked. "How did you remember that, Matt?" She looks inside to find her French book, replacing the ones that she doesn't need for the rest of the day. "You asked me to remember it for you the first day of school, so you wouldn't forget." _Of course I did._ "Well, I'm glad you were here then." She smiles at him while closing her locker, repeating the numbers in her head. _25-13-26, 25-13-26._ She'd probably go on forever if Matt didn't interrupt her. "I wanted to say sorry for how I treated you. The way we left things… I didn't like it. I wasn't in a good place. I know it's a lousy excuse, but it's the truth. You breaking up with me kind of rocked my world, you know? And when I saw you with _him_ , I just kind of lost it. How could I not get jealous seeing you with another guy?" Elena is about to reply when Matt lifts his finger, "Wait! Please let me finish. I miss you, Elena, and I just want us to be okay again. So, are we?" He gives her a stupid half grin, one that he used on her whenever he was in trouble. And lucky for him, it worked just like it did all the other times. "I miss you too, Matt." She leans in and hugs him, making him smile as he hugs her back. "And I forgive you. I'm sorry for the things I said to you. I was out of line."

"Let's just forget that day ever happened." Elena nods in agreement, "Alright. Deal." They start to walk in the hallway, making sure to stay close so they can hear each other throughout all the noise of the other students. "Would you like to hang out later? Football practice ends early today." She thinks about what she has to do today, but nothing comes to mind. "I'd like that. I'll come by your house?" This makes Matt's smile vanish. "If it's okay with you I think it'd be better to go to your house." Elena didn't seem to understand why it mattered since Matt usually never cared, but she wasn't going to question it. "Oh, yeah. That's fine. Just come by when you're done." He nods with a light smile while saying, "Sounds good." The bell rings, making Elena flinch in surprise. "I better get going. I'll see you later, Matt." She gives him one last hug before she heads to her next class.

When it's finally time for lunch, Elena searches for her friends in the cafeteria. She spots Caroline talking with Tyler Lockwood, Matt's best friend. He's the mayor's son, which pretty much means that he can do whatever he wants and there aren't any consequences. It bugs Elena, but that's just how things worked around Mystic Falls. She walks over to them both and sits at the table. "Hey, guys." Caroline says hello while Tyler gives her a curt nod, focusing back on Caroline. He leans in close and whispers, "Would you like to go out Friday night?" _Caroline, please say no._ She could do so much better than some dumb jock. Elena starts to furiously eat her lunch, hoping that Caroline will make the right choice. "Yes, I would." He tilts his head back as he smirks to himself. "Great. I'll call you later." Before he leaves he looks at Elena and says, "Hope you're having fun with pretty boy." Elena feels like she is going to explode, but doesn't want him to see her upset. "I am, thank you." She takes her fork and looks at her plate, frowning when she realizes she ate all her lunch already. Once he is out of Caroline's sight, she turns to Elena and covers her mouth, hiding her squeals. "Oh my god! I have a date!" Elena tries to pretend that she is excited by giving Caroline a wide grin, but it eventually fades when Bonnie sits at the table. Caroline starts to daydream, imagining what their date will be like. Bonnie laughs at her state of euphoria and asks, "What's with you?"

"You will never believe what just happened to me." In that moment, everything click for Elena. _Oh God._ Her whole body tenses once she remembers that Bonnie and Tyler used to date. Sure they only lasted 3 months, but who knows how Bonnie will react. Elena interrupts before Bonnie can even get a word in. "How about this lunch today? Gross, right?" Bonnie's eyebrows squished together when she looked at Elena's plate in confusion. "If it was gross then why did you eat it-" At this point Caroline has had enough, so she lifts up her arm as she yells, "Elena! I'm trying to tell Bonnie my good news." Elena takes her hand and shakes it back and forth under her head, signaling Caroline to stop talking. She even mouths, _SHUT UP, CAROLINE,_ but it's too late. "I have a date with Tyler Lockwood Friday night." Elena places her face in her hands, feeling as if she has failed Bonnie and herself. She does open one of her fingers to see Bonnie's reaction though, and she is completely shocked. Bonnie doesn't seem mad at all. She doesn't seem to be _anything_ , really. Instead she responds with a smile, saying, "Wow! That's great. He's cute." Caroline nods in appreciation. "I'm glad someone else thinks so. Elena acts like she can't stand him." _If you were here long enough you'd understand why._ Stefan steps in and sits next to his sister, across from Bonnie and Elena. "What's going on, everybody?"

Bonnie sits there and stares at Stefan, making him feel slightly on the spot. She then looks at Caroline and says, "Your sister has a date." Bonnie laughs when she sees Caroline's reaction- red as a tomato, avoiding Stefan's gaze. Seeing this was enough for Bonnie to get over Caroline dating her ex, so she crosses her arms in victory. "Don't worry, Caroline. Tyler's pretty low maintenance. My guess is that he'll pick you up in his car, take you to his favorite drive in, and who knows what else will happen." This makes Stefan's protective instincts kick in. "You're going out with Tyler Lockwood? He's a total dick, Caroline!" The fact that Caroline actually gets offended by this makes Elena roll her eyes. Caroline sighs as she asks, "And how would you know that, Stefan?" He looks at Elena apprehensively. _She just became friends with Matt again. Don't make any trouble._ But Elena saw the look on his face. There was a reason. Stefan wouldn't try to make a big deal out of nothing. "Stefan, what is it?" She looked at him intently with her big brown eyes. _I can't lie to her now._ "I was thinking about trying out for the football team, you know, cause I started to miss it. So I went to the team's practice and Matt saw me talking to the coach. He whispered something to Tyler, and then he came up to me to talk about some plays. Bonnie stops him from talking by saying, "What's your point, Salvatore?"

"Bonnie!" Elena swats her best friend's shoulder. "My _point_ is that Tyler was messing with me because he thinks I'm dating Elena." Elena leaned in curiously as she asked, "Messing with you? How?" She could feel her blood starting to boil the more Stefan spoke. "He'd trip me when we'd work on our plays, trash talk me, stuff like that. When I pretty much told him to fuck off, pardon my French, Tyler said that it was payback for Matt. After it was over I told Coach Ric that I couldn't play afterall. But it probably worked out for the best anyway since I have a new job. I'm not sure that I'd be able to juggle it all." Elena shakes her head, asking, "Is that why you were so mad at Matt earlier?" He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't need to. She knows it's true. Elena stands up and is about to head towards Matt's table when Stefan gets up touches her wrist, stopping her. The electricity that she felt the first day she met him moved up her forearm. "Elena, please don't say anything. I didn't mean to make you upset. I just thought I should tell the truth." His voice starts to break at the end of his sentence, making all the girls at the table feel awful. Elena looks "Stefan, you didn't make me upset, and you have nothing to be sorry for. It's Matt and Tyler that I'm mad at. I won't say anything, but only for you." He lets go of her wrist and sighs in relief as she sits back in her seat. "Thank you, Elena." There is awkward silence afterwards since no one knows what to say. Caroline lifts up her hands in surrender as she tells them, "Fine. I won't go out with him. Especially since he treated you that way, Stefan. I wish you told me." She takes her hand and rubs his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "It's a thing of the past. I'm not feeling too well, Care. I think I'm gonna head by Damon's for a little while. I'll see you guys later." Caroline frowned as he walked away, wishing that he wouldn't go to Damon for help with his problems. Bonnie leans in closer as she asks, "Who's Damon?" Caroline rolls her eyes, not wanting to think about him at all. "Our brother. He-" The bell rings, letting the girls know it's time to head back to class. As they walk to their lockers, all Elena can think about how angry she is at how the boys treated Stefan. All he did was show Elena kindness, and in a way this made her feel like she was also to blame. Tyler wouldn't have said anything to Stefan if it weren't for his friendship with Elena. She decided then and there that when she'd see Matt tonight, she'd tell him how disappointed in him she was for not defending Stefan- for not acting like that Matt she knew and loved.

* * *

Stefan walks into MYSTIC FALLS CAR REPAIR, happy to be away from school. Usually, he would never leave early unless it was an emergency. But the past 24 hours haven't been too great, so he considers this to be an exception. After telling Elena how Tyler treated him, Stefan felt horrible. And the way she looked at him… He didn't want her pity. Not that he didn't appreciate how she cared for him, it was just that ever since Dylan died, he didn't like others feeling bad for him. _Why did I have to bring her into my problems?_ "Shouldn't you be at school, brother?" Stefan scratched the back of his neck when he noticed his brother walk in. "Yeah." Damon smirks to himself as he remembers being his brother's age. He skipped almost everyday, and his father wanted to kill him for it. "Just make sure you don't play hooky too much. Or you'll end up like me."

"Who says I don't want to end up like you?"

"Me." Damon retorts. They both laugh lightly, enjoying the peace and quiet. Damon notices that Stefan seems to be a bit uneasy. "What's goin' on, Stef? Is it that girl you were talking about the last time?" Stefan didn't say anything, but his silence was a pretty good answer to the question. "What happened now?" Stefan shakes his head, wondering if he should even bring this up. _First Elena, now Damon. How many more people can I bother?_ "Her ex-boyfriend and his friend were trying to get under my skin, it's nothing."

"Nothing?!" Stefan nods. "Stefan, if they try to do this again, you can't let them. Stand up for yourself. Show them what you're made of. You didn't forget how to fight, right?" _How could I?_ Damon used to have Stefan and Dylan practice sparring in their garage. Stefan always thought it was just a source of entertainment for their older brother, but as he got older, all the things he learned came in handy; especially when it came to Katherine. If any creeps tried to hit on her, Stefan put them in their place- and a lot of times, in the hospital. "I didn't forget, Damon. I just fight when it's necessary. She's good friends with one of them- the one she dated." Damon tils his head to the side. "Why won't you say her name?" It's stupid, Stefan knows it. But he feels like once he tells his brother her name, Damon won't leave him alone about it. And what if Elena met him? Damon would make sure to embarrass Stefan any chance he got. It would also make his feelings seem even more real. By telling his brother this secret, it'd mean more to him than Damon would know. That was Stefan for you, overthinking everything. But it made him, who he is, he supposed. "Because I don't want you to terrorize her with questions. Like you said, it's a small town." Damon furrows his brows and then releases them. He knows that Stefan will tell eventually, so he doesn't question it again. "Look, brother, if you don't want to fight them, then you shouldn't. But if one of them starts it, then you're just defending yourself. Nothing wrong with that." Although Stefan appreciated his brother trying to help, he didn't exactly give the advice he was looking for. "Gotcha. Thanks, Damon." Stefan gives his brother a half smile to let him know that he's okay. "Of course. Hey, come by tomorrow _after school,_ and I'll give you some work to do." Damon gives his brother a hug, and ends it with a noogie. Stefan pulls away quickly, fixing his hair in the process.

* * *

As Elena waits for Matt on her front steps, she stares out into the sky. _Cloudy. Let's hope it rains._ She looks down at her feet when she hears a car door close. Once Matt starts calling out her name, she knows that it's now or never. Stefan may not think it's a big deal, but it was a different story for Elena. She'd known Matt all her life, and couldn't believe what she heard. She almost didn't, until she tried thinking of all the reasons Stefan would lie about something like this. It didn't seem like something he would do. "Hey! Sorry I'm a bit late. Tyler started talking back to Coach Ric, so he had us do 3 extra laps around the field." When she lifts up her head, Matt is surprised to see that she is upset. "Tyler seems to be causing a lot of problems lately." He walks over and sits next to her, trying to understand." What's that supposed to mean?" Matt puts his hand on her leg, but she moves it away quickly, hurting his feelings. "You told me today that you wanted us to be okay again." He nods in agreement, still not getting her point. "Matt, when were you going to tell me that Tyler was messing with Stefan?" His chin dips to his chest in guilt. But seeing how bad he feels about it isn't enough for Elena. "Why did you let it happen?" Matt shakes his head, trying to figure out what to say. "Tell me what happened. I want your side of the story." He clenches his jaw in agitation. "My side? What did he say to you?" She speaks up to let him know that she isn't playing around. "Just _tell_ me what happened." Matt takes a moment to pause, choosing his words carefully. "I saw Stefan at practice, and I recognized him from the day I saw you two together in town square. So I mentioned to Tyler how you'd been hanging around with Stefan a lot lately, and Tyler said that Stefan needed to know his place. That he couldn't take… He couldn't take what's mine." If Matt could take back what he said, he would do it in a heartbeat. Elena's face made him wish he never showed up in the first place. He knew that he had to tell her the truth, or else he couldn't live with himself. "I didn't wanna believe Tyler. I just wanted someone to blame for everything that's happened. So I blamed it on Stefan. Tyler told me I had nothing to worry about, to just tell Stefan about our plays and that I could leave the rest to him. I knew he'd probably make that practice harder on Stefan more than everyone else, but I didn't think he would be that much of an ass." Matt closes his eyes and takes a deep breath again. "I know that you're mad at me, Elena-"

"You're damn right I'm mad at you! The Matt I know wouldn't do that." He snorts dismissively, wondering how she could say something so ridiculous. "And the Elena I know wouldn't just leave me for some other guy!" Elena stands, towering over him with her arms crossed. "Me breaking up with you had nothing to do with Stefan and you know that." Matt stands up too, ready to prove his argument. "You can't tell me the reason you won't get back together has nothing to do with Stefan. I see how he looks at you, Elena. Don't you get what he's doing? Or are you too blind to see it? How he's getting closer to you, just so you'll fall for him. And when you finally do, he's gonna break your heart, whether you want to admit it or not. I bet that doesn't even matter to you, especially since you've done it to me already. At least you'll know how I felt when he does." Elena feels her hand starting to shake, and slaps Matt across the face, shocking them both. Tears well in her eyes. "Don't you _ever_ talk about him that way! We are _not_ dating. We are _friends_! You know, something you and I used to be? Stefan is kind, and thoughtful, and- and someone nice to be around. He makes me feel good, and makes other people around him feel good too. Maybe if you actually gave him a chance you'd see that. Or you can keep trying to tear him down with your idiot best friend. At this point, I really don't care what you do, because karma will set you straight. Or maybe Stefan will if he decides to stop being the good guy." She heads straight to her front door and slams it, leaving Matt alone outside. Matt races to his car and gets in the driver's seat, punching the steering wheel.

* * *

Later on that night, Stefan is at his desk doing homework. He hears a knock on his door and yells, "Come in!" When he sees Elena enter his room, he's shocked to say the least. She didn't text him that she'd be coming over. He gestures for her to sit on his bed. "Hey. What are you doing here?" She starts to laugh at herself for a moment, confusing him. "I know it's weird how I stopped by out of nowhere. I just wanted to know if you feel any better." He furrows his brows in confusion, which leads her to say, "You left school today because you felt sick?" Stefan's eyes widen as he realizes that she's right. "Oh! I do feel better. Thank you for asking." He looks down at his hands, but lifts his gaze when she says, "You know I don't bite, right?" She pats a spot next to her on the bed. He starts to laugh nervously as he moves out of his chair onto the bed. "Of course!" When he finally gets comfortable, the two look away from each other at times, but when they catch one of them starting, they smile. "How was the rest of your night?" She shakes her head as she tells him, "Honestly, it wasn't too great." Elena takes a moment to glance outside and noticed that it has started to rain. She smiles to herself, happy to see raindrops landing on his window. "Do you want to step outside for a little?" Stefan leans forward, making Elena a bit nervous. "Have you seen outside?" She shrugs her shoulders and smiles. "I have. That's why I want to go out there." He gives her an apprehensive look, unsure of what to say. "Do you want to watch the rain with me or not?" He stands up and offers her his hand. "I'd love to watch the rain with you, Gilbert." She takes it and he helps her off his bed. They then walk down his stairs and out onto his porch, where there is a large swing similar to Elena's own at home. They sit in silence for a few minutes until the sound of thunder roars in the sky, making Elena and Stefan flinch. When they both see each other do so, they laugh. He turns slightly to get a better look at her. "Can I ask you something?" She turns towards him too. "Sure."

"Why do you like storms so much?"

 _Why do I like storms so much? I don't think anyone has ever asked me that before. Not even Bonnie._ "I like them because... they're strong, and powerful, you know? Sometimes they can be calm, and other times they're a force to be reckoned with… and I admire that." She looks away from him, slightly embarrassed. "I also I think the sound of rain is one of the most beautiful things in the whole world." She runs her hand through her hair and leans back on the swing, admiring the view of the cute houses on Stefan's block. "I never really thought of it that way. Rainy days always seem melancholy to me." Elena tilts her head while listening to his opinion. "I watch the rain with my mom whenever I can. It's something that we love to do together. For me, the rain reminds me of all the good in my life." Stefan smiles, happy to learn more about her. "Like?" Elena closes her eyes to help her answer his question. When she opens them, she says, "Like... my family. Even though we're going through some hard times, I don't know what I'd do without them. And my friends. Bonnie has always been in my life, and I can't imagine her out of it. It's been nice getting to know Caroline more too." Stefan leans back as he says, "She's quite the character, isn't she?" She laughs, knowing that he means that in a good way. "And I can't forget to mention you." He looks at her and hopes that his cheeks aren't flushing. "Me?" Elena swats his shoulder playfully. "Why do you find that so hard to believe?" He shakes his head, not sure if he should go into detail. "It's nothing. I believe you!" She laughs as she tells him, "You better!" They both smile to themselves, happy with how well their night is turning out. "I'm really glad I met you, Stefan." He can't believe the words he's hearing. It makes him so happy that he can't help but smile even more. "I'm really glad I met you too, Elena." He leans in to give her a hug, and it almost feels as if they're a perfect fit.


	9. Chapter 9

Elena and Stefan watched the rain until it was over, and then she went home. Before Elena went to sleep, she received a text from Stefan.

 **S: So I just googled "someone who loves the rain is called?" and it says on Urban Dictionary that you're a pluviophile.**

Elena laughs at his message as she types,

 **E: I'm not sure that Urban Dictionary is a reliable source.**

 **S: "Pluviophile- (n) a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days." If that isn't you then I don't know what is, Gilbert. Sounds pretty reliable to me.**

 _Well I'll be damned._ Elena quickly replies, asking,

 **E: What do you love, Salvatore?**

 **S: I love to relax and in my big, comfy bed.**

 **E: So you're a clinophile.**

 **S: "(n) a lover of reclining, lying in bed." Huh. I guess you're right.**

 **E: Goodnight, you little clinophile.**

 **S: Oh god, please don't call me that in public.**

 **E: As long as you don't call me a pluviophile in public, you've got yourself a deal.**

 **S: Deal. Night!**

* * *

After school, Elena meets with Doctor Fell. She sits down on the couch, waiting for her session to start. When Doctor Fell walks in and takes her seat, Elena is immediately ready to begin. "I still have my dreams about Kai. The same thing happens every time. He comes into my house and terrorizes us- me and Ellie. I feel like you get the gist from the beginning of our sessions, which is why I won't go into detail. I don't cry or about it or anything, because there's no reason to, right? He's in prison. He can't escape. But I still can't get rid of the feeling that he can hurt me, or hurt those I care about; and that's what scares me the most. I haven't said anything to anyone else. I didn't even write it in my journal. Will they ever go away, my dreams? Or am I going to have to deal with them forever?" Elena stares at Doctor Fell in confusion when she sees her mouth gaping. "I think this is the first time you've opened up this much to me." Elena feels a bit bad after hearing this. Doctor Fell is her therapist after all; shouldn't she feel comfortable telling her what she's feeling? "I guess there's a first for everything." Doctor Fell moves in her seat, trying to get comfortable as she leans in closer to Elena from across the table. "I can't say exactly how long the dreams will last, mostly due to the fact that everyone's minds function differently. But as long as you have more things to focus on, I think it will help them go away. I would give you medication, but I would hate for you to rely on a pill constantly- especially at your age. I know this isn't probably the answer you're looking for…" Doctor Fell bows her head, disappointed in herself. "I don't tell you much, but it's only because I'm scared to open up to you. I'm not scared of you, I'm just scared of my feelings… about what happened. I don't want to live in the past, so I keep pushing Kai out of my memories. Or I try to, anyway. I can't even imagine how Ellie is handling all of this." Doctor Fell gets back in motion by writing in her notepad. She looks up and asks, "Would you mind asking her to meet with me this week?" Elena gives Doctor Fell an unsure look. "I can try. I don't know if she'll be that nice to you though." Doctor Fell laughs as she tells Elena, "I'm not too concerned about that. Just whether or not I can help Ellie find her old self again. I think you both need her." _You have no idea, Doctor Fell._ "Okay. I'll ask."

When the session ends, Elena calls Jeremy to see if he's outside Doctor Fell's office. He offered to pick her up earlier and she gladly accepted. She thought it would be nice to spend some quality time with him. Ever since Jeremy's promotion, he's been out of town on business a lot. Of course Elena is happy for her brother, but she misses him more than she expected to. Luckily, he just got back the night before, so she plans on spending a good amount of time with him before he leaves again. Jeremy sits in his pickup truck, using the steering wheel as a drum while listening to Blink 182. Elena giggles as she walks to the passenger side door. She knocks on the window, causing him to flinch in surprise. He unlocks the door and signals her to come in. When she does, he swats her shoulder saying, "Warn me next time you want to give me a heart attack!" She rolls her eyes while putting on her seatbelt. "You're just mad that I interrupted your jam session, Jeremy." He pulls out of his parking spot and heads back to their house. As he drives, Elena stares out of her window, admiring all the autumn leaves falling on the ground. Fall is one of her favorite seasons. Actually, she pretty much liked every season except winter. But she did like Christmas. And New Years. I guess I just hate the snow. "How are you, Jer?" He looks at her from time to time, focusing on the road as he speaks. "I'm good. Kinda stressed from work. But I've had a nice break so far. And it's always nice to see my little sister. How about you?" When people would ask Elena that a few months ago, she'd tell them that she was fine, even if she wasn't. But this time was actually different. "I'm good too. Just hungry." He starts to laugh as he tells her, "Of course you are."

They finally arrive at home the siblings greet their parents and ask where Ellie is. Mrs. Gilbert takes the plates from the cabinet and places them on the table. "She's at the gym again." Elena rolls her eyes. _Of course she is._ The rest of the family eats dinner together, and afterwards Elena heads to her room to do her homework. When Elena finishes, she opens her journal and begins to write in it.

 **JOURNAL ENTRY # 5**

 **10 / 3 7:24pm**

 **Today Doctor Fell asked me to bring Ellie in for a session, and at first I was kind of reluctant. Not that I don't want her to get help, it's just that… what if she gets angry at me? Maybe she'll see that this could help her. Kickboxing may work for now, but it might only last for so long.**

Elena stops writing when her phone starts to ring. She answers it with a smile on her face. "What do you want, Salvatore?" Elena leans her head against her shoulder so she can still talk to him while she takes off her shoes. "Are you home?"

"Depends."

"On what?"

"Why you're asking." That really gets him to laugh. "Sassy, are we, Gilbert? What if I told you that I have a surprise for you?" Her eyes widen as she replies, "A surprise, huh?" He nods, but forgets that she can't see him while over the phone, so he replies, "Mhm." She puts the phone in her hand while she lays in her bed. _Maybe I should just tell him I'm tired._ "Stefan-"

"I have two scoops of cookies n' cream on a cone and it's starting to melt on my hand. So if you'd like some, I'll be on your porch." She gets out of bed so fast that she might have gotten a headache. "I'll be out in a minute." Elena hangs up and sprints downstairs, heading straight for her front door. When she opens it, she squeals in excitement. Stefan was telling the truth. He had one cone for her and another in his hand for himself. She takes it with delight and leads him to their porch swing. They sit silently as they eat. It's something that they've started to do a lot lately. It didn't make either of them uncomfortable, it was just something that seemed ritualistic to them both. "So, what brought you here?" Elena asks. He takes a deep breath before he speaks. "I needed someone to talk to. Writing in my journal was getting old." Elena runs her hand through her hair, looking down at the ground. She knew exactly what that felt like. "Is everything okay?" He scratches the back of his neck. She's started to notice that it's something he does when he's nervous. "I don't think I've ever really told you about my family, have I?" Elena looks up at him and shakes her head no. "Not really. I saw a picture of you and your siblings in Caroline's room. They're your siblings, right?" Stefan nods. "My sister Addison is 22. She still lives in California. She's a senior at UCLA. I can't remember what she's majoring in cause she's changed it so many times." Stefan laughs to himself. "My one brother's name is Damon. He's 20. He lives in Mystic Falls actually. He used to live with us in LA, but he moved when my dad pretty much kicked him out." And then he remembers someone else. "You probably saw another boy in the picture." Elena nods. "He looked like you and Damon combined, if that makes any sense." Stefan nods at her observation. "That was my other brother, Dylan. He, uh, died… in a drunk driving accident. He was 19." Stefan clenches his jaw, trying to stop himself from crying. But he can't help the tears that are starting to form in his eyes. He tries to look away from her as he wipes a tear that falls down his cheek. Elena moves in closer to him as she says, "Stefan, you don't have to hide from me." She rubs her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. As she does this, she mentions, "We don't have to talk about him if you don't want to." Stefan looks down at his hands. "If you don't mind, I think I need to." She nods in understanding. Sometimes talking it all out is the best answer, afterall. "Okay. Tell me about him."

"He was the perfect kid. Star athlete, super smart, friends with everybody… Pretty much the boy version of Addison." Elena smiled at Stefan and the admiration he has for his brother. "Dylan sounds like a great guy." Stefan nods. "He was. Which makes living up to him even harder." Elena tilts her head in confusion. "What makes you say that?" He sighs, embarrassed for his reasoning. "Well, my parents don't have to worry about Addison because she's- she's _Addison_. Caroline lost her way for a little, but she's been doing so well. And me… I just feel like I'm disappointing them." _How can Stefan constantly think this way about himself? It's heartbreaking._ "Stefan, your parents love you no matter what."

"You're right. I know you're right. It's just- Caroline and I feel like we aren't good enough sometimes. Like we have to work ten times harder to be like our siblings." Elena nods in understanding. "I know what you mean. I never told you this, but my sister, Ellie… She's been having a really hard time lately. She's changed a lot from who she was, and she's become a completely different person. She treats my family and I like we're nothing. So when she started acting up even more, I felt like I had to be perfect. No mistakes, no getting into trouble, nothing that would make everything even more difficult for my parents." Stefan furrows his brows. "So what did you do?" Now Elena starts to sigh. "I told them how I felt. Sometimes I wish I didn't. They felt so guilty afterwards. But they needed to know the truth. They _deserved_ to know it. They're your parents, Stefan. They're here for you. Just let them in." He stares at her in awe. Stefan felt so lucky in that moment to have met her and to have her in his life. Which is why he had to do what he'd be wanting to for so long. He gently places his hand on her cheek, and leans in for a kiss. She is completely surprised by it, but still kisses him back full heartedly. The electricity Elena felt whenever they touched went through her entire body, coursing through her veins. As he leans in closer, she pulls away, and reality sets in. He places his hands over his face, upset with himself. "I'm sorry, Elena. I shouldn't have-" She shakes her head. "No, don't be sorry, Stefan. It's not that I don't- I do like you. A lot, actually. I just don't know if right now is the right time. Things are moving a little too fast... I'm not sure that I'm ready to date anyone yet." He stands up, telling her, "I'm okay with that. As long as you'll still be in my life." She stands too and gives him a hug. "Always, Stefan. Always." He moves away from her as he says, "I should- I should get going." He walks to his car, making sure not to look back. She wishes that she could articulate her feelings into words. That it really isn't him- it's _her_. But she can't. Not yet, anyway. She bows her head, unable to speak.

* * *

Stefan couldn't get much sleep that night- and this time is wasn't because of his nightmares. All he could think about was Elena. He was having a great time with her. He felt like they both really opened up to each other, and he even built up the courage to show her how he really feels. But it didn't go the way he hoped. And that was okay. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe he and Elena were just meant to be friends.

Elena could barely sleep either. She felt awful for what happened with Stefan. _How will react when I see him? Will he hate me?_ Bonnie snaps her fingers to get Elena's attention. "Elena! Back in the car?" Elena looks around, almost forgetting that she's in the car with Bonnie. "Sorry. I didn't sleep too well last night." Bonnie nods her head as she continues to drive. When they finally arrive at school, Caroline runs up to them, smiling widely. "Hey, guys! How are you?" She hugs them both, squeezing them tightly. "Caroline... I can't breathe..." Bonnie chokes out before Caroline lets go of them. "Oh my god! I'm sorry." Elena looks past Caroline and sees Stefan talking with Rebekah. She knows it shouldn't bother her, but it does. Caroline turns around to see what Elena is looking at. She places her hand on Elena's shoulder as she says, "Rebekah came up to him today and asked him for help with homework or something. I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." Elena shakes her head. "We're just friends, Caroline. That's all we've ever been." She darts her eyes to the ground when Stefan runs over to greet them. "Hey!" The bell rings, letting them know it's time to head inside. Before Elena can leave, Stefan gently touches her arm so Bonnie and Caroline could walk ahead of them. He speaks quietly to gain her attention. "Elena, I just wanted to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. It was completely wrong, and I couldn't even sleep because of it." Elena looks down at her feet. "Neither could I." He grabs her hands to bring her eyes back to his. "I just want you to know that I've really liked growing closer with you, and I hope you have too. I don't want it to stop because of something like this, so… can you forgive me?"

"Of course, Stefan." He sighs in relief, hugging her right after. She rests her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "Thank you, Elena. I'm glad that we can still be friends." She opens her eyes slowly. _Friends._ Is that really what she wanted? Of course she felt a deep connection with Stefan, but this have never happened to her before. The thought of this actually _meaning_ something scared the hell out of her, and she was already too scared of too many other things. "Me too, Stefan. Me too" He pulls away to look down at his watch, checking the time. "We better get going." She nods and they walk together to their lockers, happy that things are okay.

When it's time for lunch, the group finds their usual table. While they're eating, Matt and Tyler walk towards them, crossing their arms when they finally arrive. Although Stefan is avoiding eye contact with them by staring at his lunch, Elena looks back and forth and the both of them as she asks, "Can we help you?" Tyler is about to talk back when Matt lifts up his hand, silencing him. "We're here to talk to Stefan." After hearing his name, Stefan lifts his gaze slowly, trying to address the situation. "Me?" Tyler laughs, mocking him. "Yeah, you. Who else would we-" Matt elbows Tyler in the stomach, causing him to move backward to catch some air. "Tyler and I were talking with Coach Ric about how much we want to win state this year, and he said if we wanted to get there… that we needed _you_. So, if you're still thinking about playing football for the Timberwolves, you can. We won't treat you like shit this time. If you want to be apart of the team, we'll treat you like a teammate- a brother." Matt sticks out his hand, hoping that Stefan will shake it. When Stefan does, Matt starts to smile. "We'll give you a few days to think about it." They both leave, and the girls are in complete shock. Caroline leans in closely as she whispers, "What are you going to do, Stefan?" He shrugs his shoulders. "I'm not sure yet. I'm just glad that they won't treat me differently anymore." Right when Elena is about to speak, Rebekah arrives at their table, touching Stefan's shoulder. "Hi, Stefan. Is there any chance that you could help me study for our next French test?" He nods his head politely, making her smile. "Great. You can drive me home then." She winks before she leaves, infuriating Elena. _I guess now I know how Matt felt._

* * *

Elena goes straight to her room after school and falls on top of her bed. All she can think about is how Rebekah kept staring at Stefan today. It's been driving her crazy. Elena starts to drift off to sleep when her phone buzzes in her pocket. She adjusts herself on the bed and pulls out her phone, ready to read her text.

 **B: You seemed bummed today. Want to go shopping?**

 **E: YES.**

 **B: Good because I'm already out front.**

 **E: I'll be out in a minute.**

Elena gets off her bed and puts on her jacket, ready to shop away her stress. As she approaches Bonnie's car, she can hear music blasting from the inside. Elena braces herself for her eardrums to most likely combust. Luckily, Bonnie turned down the music a bit before Elena got inside. Bonnie tilts her head to the side, trying to figure out what is going on with Elena. "Okay. Spill." Elena's eyes widen. "Excuse me?" Bonnie laughs to herself as she drives. "Don't act like dumb with me." Elena crosses her arms, looking outside her window. "I have _no clue_ what you're talking about, Bonnie Bennett." Her mouth gapes open, shocked that her best friend could lie to her face. "Yeah right, Elena! You know EXACTLY what I'm talking about. And don't even think about-"

"BONNIE!"

But it was too late. Bonnie rear ended the car ahead of them. There wasn't too much damage for the other car involved, but that wasn't the case for Bonnie. Her car's hood took a major hit, causing her to place her head on the steering wheel. "Fuck." She unbuckles her seatbelt, ready to deal with whoever she hit. Elena gets out of the car too, wincing as she sees the aftermath of the collision. Luckily the woman Bonnie hit was very nice, making the process of trading insurance information much easier than she'd thought it be. After the woman leaves, both the girls sit in Bonnie's car. "You should call a mechanic," Elena suggests. Bonnie nods as she pulls out her phone, ready to find the number.

* * *

Damon hears the phone ringing on the front desk and sprints to it, happy to focus on anything other than the car he'd been working on for the past two hours. "Mystic Falls Car Repair, Damon speaking." He grabs a pen and starts to write on the notepad in front of him. "Got it." He checks his watch, and looks outside, assuming that there wouldn't be much traffic. "I'll be there in 15 minutes. See you then." When he finds the two girls leaning against a totaled car, Damon parks the tow truck in front of it. He steps out of and walks towards the girls calmly. "Which one of you owns this car?" All of the annoyance and anger Bonnie felt previously vanished as soon as she saw his face. Her pulse races as she sees him run his hand through his hair. She can't help but tongue tied as she says, "Oh, uh- me. It's- it's mine." He nods curtly, walking towards it to get a better look. Damon then looks at both of the girls. "Mind if I asked what happened?" Before Elena can speak, Bonnie interrupts her. "I was having a disagreement with my friend over here when the car ahead of me stopped sooner than expected." Damon starts to laugh, making Bonnie cross her arms. "What's so funny?" He shakes his head, trying to stop himself from chuckling any further. "Nothing- nothing. Let's just get this car back to the shop." As he hooks Bonnie's car to the tow truck, Elena grabs Bonnie's arm and says, "Don't piss him off, Bonnie. He's helping you out." Bonnie rolls her eyes. "Fine. But I'll only play nice because he's hot. How old do you think he is?" Elena shrugs her shoulders. He had to be in his twenties, but Elena knew that his age wouldn't matter much to Bonnie. If Bonnie likes something, she almost always makes sure to get it. He opens the passenger door for them so they can ride in his truck. Elena replies with a thank you while Bonnie says nothing at all. Elena sits in between the two, hoping to prevent any future fights on the ride back. He takes one last look at the girls before he starts to drive. "Nice weather we're having, huh?" Elena nods, while Bonnie stares out the window. He taps his fingers on the steering wheel, making a beat to the song on the radio. "Where were you two headed?" Elena checks her phone to find 5 texts from her mother, asking where she is and if everything is okay. "We were going to the mall. Bonnie invited me to go shopping." He lifts his eyebrows as if he's actually enthused. "Sorry that your trip got cancelled. Bonnie, would you mind rolling your window down, I'd like to feel the breeze since my AC isn't workin' too well today." She moves forward to get a better look at him. "Aren't you a mechanic? Why can't you fix the air conditioning in your own car?" Elena elbows her in the stomach lightly to get Bonnie to shut up. He laughs as he drives, enjoying her spunk. "I try to fix other people's cars before my own. Like right now, I'm fixing up this Jeep Wrangler, and the girl who owns it _not only_ replaced an air filter, but also accidentally detached a vacuum line! So now I have to-"

"My sister owns a Jeep Wrangler. Pretty sure it's at your shop." Damon takes a deep breath as he tells her, "Well it's not exactly _my_ shop yet, but thank you for saying that. And tell her not to mess with her car ever again." Elena gives him a thumbs up, and he flashes a smirk that she'd seen before. _Caroline's picture in her room._ She clears her throat and asks, "Would you happen to be related to Stefan Salvatore?" This causes him to look away from the road. "Why yes I am. You know him?" Bonnie leans forward and says, "We're friends with him. Caroline too." Damon rolls his eyes. "Good ol' Sunshine. She drives me crazy." Elena laughs, and although Bonnie doesn't want to, she laughs too. Damon continues to tap his fingers against the steering wheel. "Stefan doesn't though. We get along pretty well, actually. Not a lot of siblings do, so." _Don't I know it,_ Elena thinks to herself. Damon continues, "I love him a lot. He just… He can be intense. I've been trying to get him to let loose lately but Caroline doesn't like when I do that. Mostly because she knows my idea of fun is much different from her's." Elena lifts her eyebrows at Damon, wondering what his idea of fun actually is. "He puts so much pressure on himself- all the time! I guess that's where we're different. I could care less about what people think, but he wants to please everybody." Elena knew what he meant because it's exactly what Stefan told her. She smiled as she thought of him as she says, "He's one of the good ones." Damon pulls up to the shop and parks the car. Bonnie immediately leaves, Elena assumes to call one of her parents. But before Elena can leave the car with her, Damon turns himself towards her. "Can I ask you something?" She nods, turning herself towards him too. "Is my brother spending time with Rebekah Mikaelson?" Elena tenses up as she hears that name. "Yes. Well- not in a romantic way. He's just helping Rebekah with her homework. At least that's what Caroline told me. I don't think he has feelings for her like that. Actually I don't know what to think." Elena crosses her arms and huffs, feeling slightly out of breath. He sighs in relief, too busy with his own thoughts to realize Elena's emotions towards his brother. She tilts her head in confusion. "Why do you ask?" He unbuckles his seatbelt, hoping it will buy him time to come up with an excuse. "No reason." But she won't give up that easily. "You don't bring up something like that unless you have a reason." He rubs his face with his hands. _Nice one, Damon._ Then he remembers something, something important. "Rebekah's trouble. I bet you know that, but Stefan… He doesn't. Besides, he's into another girl anyway." Damon walks away from her, heading into the shop, but Elena can't seem to move. Her eyes widen as she realizes who he's talking about. "Really? What- what did he say?" She jogs towards him to hear his response. Of courseElena knows that Stefan has feelings for her, but sometimes it's nice to hear that from someone else. Stefan always speaks highly of those he cares about, and she couldn't help but wonder what he really thought of her. Damon scrunches his eyes to help him think of his encounters with his brother. "The first time he brought her up he kept asking what he should do. He wanted to tell her how he felt but he was so nervous. I haven't seen him like that since he was with Katherine. That's his-"

"Yeah, I know who she is." Damon nods his head. "I told him not to complicate things, to just be friends with her. But from how he's been acting it, seems like he told her how he felt. And that she didn't like him back." Elena bows her head in guilt, but picks it back up quickly before Damon can notice. "Then the second time he said how some kid at school was trying to beat him up, so I said to fight back. Stefan's a great fighter. He's so fast, and can give a major suckerpunch! It's a shame he hardly uses it."

"Shouldn't that be a good thing?"

Damon laughs at her, making her feel slightly uncomfortable. "If you know Stefan, then you should know he doesn't want to cause other people pain. He'd rather be in pain than put others through it. Unless he's protecting someone he cares about, I guess. I just wish that he'd fight for what he wants for once, you know? Things have been hard for him. He seems to be getting happier though. Probably cause of the _mystery girl_."

"Mystery girl?"

"Yeah, thats what I call her since he won't tell me her name. I get why. Hell, he knows that once I find out who she is I'm gonna give her a piece of my mind. But it's my job as an older brother to embarrass him." Elena could see why Stefan enjoyed Damon's company. He had spunk, much like Bonnie. "He does seem happier though since he met her. I oughta thank her someday... Maybe I can if she gives him a chance." He walks to Bonnie, who is still on the phone. From the looks of it, she's going to be in trouble for a long time. Elena follows his lead, rubbing Bonnie's shoulder. When she hangs up, Elena can hear a swear word muttered under her breath. Damon smiles at her spunk once again. "What'd the old man say, Bon Bon?" She puts her phone in the bag and points her index finger to his chest, touching it accidentally. If he wasn't such an ass she'd admire how strong he felt. "First, don't call me that. Second, he's pissed… But he's glad we're okay. I'm sorry, Elena. We didn't even get to go shopping." Elena hugs her, smiling lightly as she says, "Bonnie! We can do that any day. Please don't be sorry." They let go of each other and Elena directs her attention towards Damon. "How much do you think this will cost?" He places his fingers on his chin, pretending to think deeply. "I'd say… around 1,000 bucks for a new hood, and-"

"Fuck! What am I going to do?" It's not that her parents don't have the money. They're quite well off, actually. But that doesn't mean Bonnie gets whatever she wants. Any time a situation like this arises, Mr. Bennett makes her come up with the money herself. Damon could see any of the strength or moxie that she's had in the past few minutes disappear. To his surprise, it really upset him seeing Bonnie this way. So he decided to do something that he'd probably regret later on- like most of his decisions. "Listen, I don't do this much... But I'll do it for you. Give me what you can, and I'll cover the rest." Bonnie runs up to Damon and hugs him so tightly that he doesn't think he can breathe. But he can't stop the smile creeping on his face, even if he tried. "Thank you so much, Damon. I- I don't know how to repay you." As Bonnie and Elena go into another room to call Jeremy, hoping that he'll give them a ride, Damon heads back behind the counter. Just as Damon looks up, Stefan walks into the shop. Damon smiles widely. "Hello, brother. What brought you in?" Stefan lifts a hand and waves. "Just thought I'd visit." He sees a figure in his peripherals and looks to it. When he sees Elena, his pulse starts racing. _Why is she here?_ Elena sees him and waves. Stefan doesn't know what to say, so she speaks instead. "Hey, Stefan."

"Elena. What- what are you doing here?" He looks back and forth toward her and Damon, hoping that Damon hasn't connected the dots. Bonnie comes out of the room and nods at Stefan. "Hey. I invited Elena to go shopping and we kind of got in an accident. Elena, did Jeremy say that he could drive us home?" Elena shakes her head no. "He's exhausted from work today. I'd ask my parents but they're out to dinner, they haven't gone out in months so I just… I feel bad."

"I can drive you guys. I don't mind," Stefan says. Elena wants to tell him no, that she'll find her own way home, but no words come out of her mouth. The more she's with him, the more confused she feels. But before Elena can say anything, Bonnie runs up to Stefan and hugs him as well. "Thank you, Stefan!" When she lets go, Stefan is completely shocked. He's never seen Bonnie like this before. Damon yells out, "Don't feel so special, brother! She gave me one too." As soon as Damon winks, Bonnie rolls her eyes. She takes Stefan's keys from his hands and mentions, "I'll be waiting in the car!" Elena walks towards Stefan, speaking quietly so Damon won't hear. "Thank you, Stefan. I really appreciate this. We both do." She kisses his cheek, and his pulse sky rockets. Elena doesn't want to give him mixed signals, she never thought of herself as that kind of person. It just felt _right_ to do. It felt… Natural. Stefan isn't sure how to react. He wants to kiss her right then and there, but he knows he can't. No matter what Elena does, he will not act on his impulses anymore until he knows exactly how she feels. So he places his hand on her back and lead her to his car instead.


	10. Chapter 10

All three of them get in the car, not really saying anything. When Stefan puts his keys in the ignition to start the car, the radio turns on. As the music blares, Bonnie has a disgusted look on her face. "Ugh! You like country?" Bonnie asks, leaning forward from the backseat to change the station. Stefan moves to the side so she has more room to touch the dial. "I don't, actually. Rebekah, uh, she likes it so when I drove her home after school-" Bonnie rolls her eyes as she says, "Please don't say her name, Stefan. I will throw up in your car." He lifts his hands up in surrender, saying, "Got it." Stefan starts driving, following Bonnie's directions to get to her house, but Elena tunes them both out. She doesn't speak the whole way to Bonnie's, mostly due to being too wrapped up in her own thoughts to contribute to their conversation. _Why am I acting like this? I've never acted like this._ Elena didn't like feeling this way, being upset with Stefan for no actual reason other than the fact that she can't make up her mind. He didn't do anything wrong. All he did was tell her how he really felt. _And he kissed me._ She didn't want to dwell on that part too much. Elena would say it was indescribable, but a kiss like that deserved a description. It was perfect. More perfect than she ever imagined it to be. Not that she thought about it all the time, but it had crossed her mind once or twice. When Elena and Matt would kiss, she thought is was fine. _But a kiss shouldn't be just "fine". Why am I overthinking all of this anyway? Stefan's just being a nice guy by helping Rebekah. Or what if there's more to the story? What if I'm the reason they end up dating? All because I-_

"Well, this is me. Thank you for the ride, Stefan." Bonnie rubs his shoulder as a form of gratitude. Before she is too far away, Stefan brings her attention to his window. "It was no problem, Bonnie. I'm sorry if my brother gave you any trouble." She laughs, telling him, "I took care of myself in there. Don't worry." She winks as she walks away, making Stefan smile. While driving to Elena's, Stefan becomes unsure of what to say. She hasn't spoken much the entire ride, so he tries to make her laugh. "Damon didn't bother you at all, did he? I was hoping you'd meet him on better terms. He can be a bit of a dick sometimes but he means well." Elena cracks a bit of a smile, but not much. He takes his hand and places it on her's. "Is something wrong?" She shakes her head no, but Stefan knows it's a lie. He takes his hand off her's and sighs. When he thinks of an idea, he perks up, asking, "Do you have to be home right now? Or can I take you somewhere? I promise we won't be too long." Elena checks the time on her phone. _I guess I can be home a littler later._ "Okay. Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Stefan smiles widely as he says, "Nope!" He puts both hands on the wheel, ready to surprise her. When they finally arrive, Stefan turns off the car. Elena peeks out the window, only to see the forest beside her. "Stefan, what are we doing here?" He gets out of the car and opens her door for her. "You know, back home I always had a place to go when I just needed to get away. And I was hoping to find one here."

"This is it?"

Stefan nods. "The night that I kissed you, I decided to take a long drive. You know, to clear my head. I ended up passing this preserve on the way back and I couldn't stop thinking about it. Before I even offered you and Bonnie a ride I was going to stop by here, but I wanted my first time here to be with you." Elena is silent, unsure of how to respond. _I wonder if he treats anyone else like this? I know it's selfish… but I hope not._ Stefan becomes apprehensive as he says, "Sorry, I feel like that was weird. I just- I thought you'd appreciate it here. You always seem to appreciate the little things and I… I really like that about you. Not many people do that… you know? Actually, we can just leave if you want? I'm wasting your time." Stefan tries to move past her but she won't budge. Instead, she places her hands on his arms, signaling him to stop. "You never waste my time, Stefan. Now come on, we've got a forest to explore." She takes his hand and guides him through, forming their own pathway. Elena feels as if her whole body is tingling, but she chooses to ignore it. As they continue, she looks around, nervous that she's made them both get lost. She's been in this forest plenty of times with all her friends, but that didn't mean she knew exactly where she was going. Elena liked to go there in the day to swim in the town's waterfall; it was one of her favorite places growing up. Every once and awhile Stefan squeezes her hand, mostly to give her reassurance. When he lets go, she turns around quickly, furrowing her brows as she asks, "Stefan? What's wrong?" He lifts up his finger, looking as if he is concentrating. "Do you hear that?" Elena tries to focus on her surroundings and hears water crashing in the distance. She starts to smile as she states, "It's the waterfall." Stefan smiles too as he rubs his hands together. "Race you there!" He moves so fast that Elena has to sprint just to catch up to him. When they finally reach the waterfall, Stefan looks around in awe. "This is beautiful." He finds a spot on the ground, encouraging Elena to sit with him. "You know I don't bite, right?" Elena laughs as she sits, remembering how she said that to Stefan the night of the storm. She takes in the scenery surrounding her before saying, "Damon really helped us out today. I appreciate what he did. Bonnie does too."

"I'm glad he could help. I bet he is too. Damon's kind of been in a rut lately. All the Salvatore's have, I guess." Elena tilts her head in confusion. "Is everything okay?" He nods his head, but Elena won't give up. "Talk to me, Stefan. What's wrong?" Stefan sighs, unsure of how to word his problem. "I can't really sleep anymore. Like at all. So I've been taking some sleeping pills… My parents don't know about them. No one does, except for you now. I have them hidden in my room."

"If you didn't want anyone to know about them, why are you telling me?"

"Because I had to tell somebody. And I know that you're someone I can trust." _That means more to me than you'll ever know, Salvatore._ She takes a deep breath, admiring the waterfall. "So you can't sleep, huh?" Stefan looks down at his hands, noticing the scar he got as a kid from playing with Dylan. He rubs his thumb against it as he remembers that day. He fell off his bike and his brother helped him find the courage to get back on it again. "I have these terrible nightmares, over and over again. Almost every single night." Elena tenses up as she remembers her own nightmares as well. "What are they about?" Stefan rests on his back, looking up at the stars. "A lot of times they're about Dylan. He's about to die and I get there just in time to save him, except I can't. It doesn't matter what I do. He always dies in the end." Elena rests on her back too, inching closer towards him. "Is that how you feel? Like you could have saved him?" He nods. "I never stop thinking about the 'What If's. I know I shouldn't, but it's hard not to. The only thing that seems to help me are the pills. They take the edge off. I just don't want to get addicted to them." Elena turns to face Stefan, resting on her side. "I'm sure you won't, Stefan. Maybe try to take them only when you really need to, or try to not take them at all?" Stefan closes his eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply as he admits, "I wish it were that easy. But I've had problems with addiction before." Elena's lips part, finding it hard to imagine Stefan with a drug problem. He notices this and decides to apologize. "I'm sorry, Elena. I'm laying all this on you right now and you probably just want to get home." He leans forward, ready to leave, but Elena stops him by placing her hand on his. "Stefan, please don't be sorry. You need to talk about these things, otherwise you'll go crazy. I'm not glad that any of this is happening, but I'm glad you told me. I mean that." Stefan is about to speak when Elena's phone vibrates. She looks down at it and sees multiple texts from her mother, asking where she is and when she'll be home. Elena stands up and stretches out her hand. "Would you mind taking me home?" He grabs her hand and she helps him up. "Of course not." He then wraps his arm around her as they walk through the preserve to find his car. When they do, Stefan opens her door for her and gets in his own. As they're driving to Elena's, he says, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming with me, for listening to my problems… It may not seem like much, but I really appreciate it. This move was kind of hard on my family, and if I never met you, I don't know how I'd be doing right now. So, thank you. For just… being you." Elena wishes the tears welling in her eyes would disappear, but they fall down her cheeks instead. Stefan immediately panics, worrying that he upset her. "Elena- I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to-" She shakes her hands, interrupting him from speaking. "It's not your fault. There's something wrong with me, Stefan. Not you." Now Stefan's really confused. "I'm not sure that I understand."

"You've been so thoughtful and kind to me since the day we met. When I said how I wasn't ready to date, you didn't act like an asshole about it like most guys would. You never pressured me, Stefan, or made me feel bad about my decision... You've just been so sweet. And I've been so indecisive and unfair."

"Elena-"

"I'm sorry I've been confusing lately, I just don't know what's best for me right now." She cries even more, making Stefan nervous. He has no idea what to say to make her feel better, so he just speaks from the heart. "Elena, I would only want us to date when you were ready. I treat you the way I do because it's the way you deserve to be treated- with kindness, with respect… You deserve those things. It doesn't matter if we're just friends or more. Nothing will ever change that. So please don't be upset about how you feel, because it's nothing that you can help. Okay?" She sniffles as she wipes her eyes with the sleeve on her shirt. There's so much more that she would like to say, but by the time she realizes this Stefan is already in her driveway. "Okay." She unbuckles her seatbelt and gives him a long hug. Stefan kisses the top of her head, running his hand through her hair. When Elena leans back in her seat, Stefan breathes in and out, showing her how to relax. She starts to laugh, feeling much better compared to a few minutes ago. "Goodnight, Stefan." Before Stefan realizes, Elena gets out of his car and closes her door. Stefan rolls down the window and yells out, "Goodnight, Elena!" He waits until she reaches her front door and then drives away.

 **JOURNAL ENTRY #3**

 **10 / 2 11:40pm**

 **I am exhausted so I will make this short. Today Bonnie wanted to cheer me up by taking me shopping. We got in a car accident instead. Thankfully, no one was hurt. Except her car took some damage. Bonnie's car was towed- by Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older brother. Stefan took me to the forest preserve. Even though we just talked and looked at the waterfall, it made everything that happened today worthwhile. But don't tell Bonnie I said that.**

* * *

The next day, school goes by quickly for Elena. Throughout the day she tried her best to ignore both Rebekah and her snarky comments, which had been happening frequently since Rebekah was spending more time with Stefan. When school is finally over, Stefan offers to drive Elena and Bonnie home. Before Elena has time to respond, Matt interrupts her. "Hey. Can we- can we talk?" He looks towards Stefan and Bonnie, nervous to stare into Elena's eyes for too long. She hasn't talked to Matt since their last fight, so interacting with him feels almost foreign to her. Elena thinks about it for a bit before responding with, "Sure. I'll come by your house tonight. 7 o'clock." Elena directs her attention towards Stefan almost as soon as she finishes speaking to Matt. "I would love a ride home, Stefan." Before Elena can walk away, Matt touches her arm. "Could we just talk now? I can't have anyone at my house." Elena tries to come up with a reason to say no, but can't think of one. The only real reason she'd want to say no is because of how Matt's been acting lately. It's like he's a different person. Bonnie grabs Matt's attention when she says, "It's okay, Matt. Stefan said-"

"I can give her a ride. I just need a few minutes. Please." Matt looks as if he hasn't gotten sleep in days, making Stefan, Elena and Bonnie wonder exactly what his deal is. Elena crosses her arms as she says, "Okay, Matt. You can drive me home." The relief on his faces breaks her heart just a little bit, but not enough to fully forgive him. Matt pulls out his keys, trying to find the right one. When he does, he starts to walk away from the group. Elena follows, turning back to wave at Bonnie and Stefan. They wave back, heading towards Stefan's car. As Matt drives, Elena notices how tense Matt is by his hunched back and his hands gripping the steering wheel for dear life. When Matt sees her staring at him, he decides to pull over, unable to handle the silence. "Elena, I know that I've really screwed up these past couple months. I haven't been much of a great friend lately, and I hope you realize how sorry I am. I don't want to make excuses, but things have been really hard at home the past couple months." Elena unbuckles her seatbelt so she is able to face him without feeling uncomfortable. She puts a piece of hair behind her ear as she says, "What do you mean?" He turns off the car, realizing that this conversation will take longer than she probably anticipated. "You know how my dad's been out of the picture for awhile now…"

Elena doesn't remember Mr. Donovan much, mostly because he was never around. The only thing she really remembers is how heartbroken Matt's mother was after her divorce. "Yeah, I know." Matt looks down towards his lap, ashamed to admit his family problems. "Then it may not come as a surprise to you but my mom wasn't handling it well then, and she still isn't handling it well now." Matt makes a gesture with his hands as if he's drinking from a bottle, smiling sadly. "She's always tried drinking her problems away, you know that too. But it's getting out of hand now. Sometimes I find her asleep at the bar after spending hours searching Mystic Falls for her. Other times she's picking fights with people while drunk out of her mind. There are days- even weeks- where she just won't come home. And the worst part of it all, is that I honestly think that I'd be happier if she wouldn't." Elena shakes her head as she says, "Matt, you don't mean that." He turns so rapidly towards her that she flinches. "Yes I do, Elena! I'm only 17… I don't know how to handle her. I can't handle her." Matt rests his arms on his steering wheel, leaning on it as he cries. "I don't want to bring child services or anything into this because if I did… My mom would never forgive me. I wanna tell Vicki, but she made it perfectly clear after she left Mystic Falls she never wanted to live with my mom again. I wanted to tell you, but I just couldn't." Elena tries her best to hold back her tears, but it's almost impossible. "When did it start getting so bad?" Matt laughs to himself as he tells her, "Right around the time you broke up with me." Elena's heart starts to hurt as she realizes how much Matt has been going through, and how much she hasn't been there for him. The tears that she was trying to hide earlier become quiet sobs. "Matt, I wish you told me." She takes his hand and squeezes it tightly. "Is this why you never wanted me to come over?" Matt nods, unable to really speak any longer about the situation. "So you've pretty much been living alone for months now?" Matt nods again, this time more furiously, trying to fight off his tears. "I've been going through her mail and found so many bills… I don't know how long we'll have the house if she keeps this up. Where am I going to live, Elena? I have no other family. I have- I have no one." Elena reaches towards Matt and hugs him, whispering, "You do have someone, Matt. You have me."

* * *

They drove around for an hour, catching up and rebuilding the friendship they once had. After Matt arrives Elena's house, he leans back in his seat, relief temporarily washing over him. It disappears when he realizes he'll most likely be coming home to an empty house. Elena takes his hand again and squeezes it once more. "If you need anything, Matt, please let me know. I don't want you to go through this alone." He nods his head slowly, unable to speak due to his own exhaustion. Elena kisses his forehead before leaving his car, heading into her home.

 **JOURNAL ENTRY #4**

 **10 / 3 4:25pm**

 **Today Matt apologized for everything that's happened between us. And this time it felt real. He said his mom how his mom's drinking problem has gotten worse, and how he's practically relying on himself a majority of the time. I can't imagine not having my parents be around, or not caring about my wellbeing. Maybe Matt should talk to Doctor Fell. It could probably do him some good. And she'd have better advice to give him than I would. Speaking of Doctor Fell, I should probably go see her soon.**

Elena hears knocking on her door and as she opens it is shocked to find her sister behind it. "Hey. Some guy is here to see you." Elena puts a piece of hair behind her ear, wondering who it could opens the door and sees no one in front of it. Elena sticks her head out of the doorframe and spots Stefan sitting on her porch swing. When he realizes she is there he stands, giving her a light smile. "Stefan. What are you doing here?"

"I was in the neighborhood and wondered if you were okay… You know after everything that happened with Matt."

"Oh. Well thank you for thinking of me."

"I realize now that I could have just called or texted instead. But I wanted to see you," Stefan says as he scratches the back of his neck, embarrassed by his obvious affection for Elena. She smiles as she looks down towards her feet. "That's alright. I'm glad you stopped by." She walks towards him and wraps her arms around his waist tightly. When she releases him from her grip, he asks, "So you're okay?" Elena nods. "We made up- for real this time. I'm actually glad he drove me home. We just needed some time to get back to how we used to be… and I think that we're finally there again. Or we're at least almost there." She sits on the swing, inviting him to sit with her. They sway back and forth for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company, until Elena's sister disrupts their peace and quiet by opening the front door. "Elena, what are you-" Ellie pauses when she spots the two of them together. She isn't exactly sure what their relationship is, but luckily for Elena she doesn't seem to have too much interest in exactly finding out. Elena stands up slowly before asking, "What's up, Ellie?" Ellie smiles at Elena's awkwardness. "Nothing. Just wanted to tell you that dinner's ready." Ellie looks at Stefan and he gives her a light smile. She then looks back and forth between them, finally focusing on Elena. "You know, he can probably stay for dinner if you want." Stefan stands too as he answers, "Oh, it's fine. I should probably head back home anyway." Elena turns towards Stefan and says, "I'm sure our parents won't mind, Stefan. Stay." His eyes widen at her response, feeling both happy and shocked that she'd like him to have dinner with her family. "Okay, sure! I'd love to." As they walk into The Gilbert home, Ellie pulls her sister's arm, dragging her away from Stefan. She whispers, "Does he have a brother?" When Elena nods, Ellie's eyes light up with excitement. "Is he hot too?"

"I don't know, Ellie. Go pick your car up from the mechanic and decide for yourself."

Elena walks into the kitchen to help her mother finish up dinner, leaving her sister in complete confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?! Elena!" Ellie finds her way to the table where her father is sitting, and is surprised to see Mr. Gilbert talking with Stefan like they're best friends. Elena coughs to get her parents attention when she and her mother walk in the dining room with the food. "So is it alright if Stefan stays for dinner?" Mrs. Gilbert smiles as approves. "It's fine with me. Grayson?" Mr. Gilbert takes a good look at Stefan and smiles too. "Any friend of Elena's is a friend of our's." Elena is somewhat confused at her father's reaction to Stefan. She always thought that any new guy she brought home would be grilled with questions or treated like a criminal, and yet Mr. Gilbert is acting as if he's known Stefan since he was a baby. Still, in a way she's thankful that everyone has been treating him so well. Ellie leans over to Elena to whisper, "Dad may have passed his test, but don't forget that Jeremy isn't home yet." And that is when Elena knew the night could turn out much worse than she expected. Her brother's protective instincts over his baby sister would surely kick in, most likely making Stefan never want to come by ever again. Sure enough the front door opens and Elena closes her eyes shut, wishing she and Stefan just went to Scoop's or anywhere other than her house. Ellie smiles as she grabs her fork. "Right on time." Jeremy walks to their table, smiling at his family until his eyes reach Stefan's. "I don't think I've seen you around before," Jeremy says flatly. Elena looks at each of the boys, studying them both. Stefan is definitely strong, but Jeremy looks like he could crush Stefan in a split second. He works out constantly, and she's sure that her brother has won plenty of fights over the years. _But so has Stefan. At least that's what Damon said, right?_ Elena mentions to Jeremy, "This is Stefan! He's my friend from school. He just moved here a couple months ago. Stefan, this is-"

"Jeremy. Elena's older brother." He walks towards Stefan and sticks out his hand, prompting Stefan to stand up and shake it. Stefan smiles as he says truthfully, "It's nice to meet you, Jeremy. I've heard great things about you from Elena." This gets Jeremy to smile a little, but not much. Stefan sits back down, flattening his jeans with his hands. Elena's notices this and places her hand on one of his to calm him down. She looks at him as the rest of her family asks Jeremy about his day, breathing in and out the same way Stefan did to make her relax the night before. He can't help but laugh as he squeezes her hand before letting go of it, getting the courage he needed back into him.


	11. Chapter 11

"Stefan. Now that we're acquainted, tell me about yourself." Jeremy waits quietly, pressing his lips into a fine line. Stefan looks around the table, addressing everyone as he mentions, "Well, I'm from Los Angeles. I moved here with my family before school started." Mr. Gilbert raises his eyebrows as he asks, "What do you think of Mystic Falls? It's gotta be pretty different." Stefan takes his fork and picks up a brussel sprout, placing it in his mouth. "It is, but I think that's what I really like about it. I can understand why people want to move here, why they'd want to raise a family here. It's got a wholesome, small town feel to it that you can't get in many places. Especially a city." Mrs. Gilbert smiles at Stefan, admiring his genuine nature. "That's one of the reasons I love Mystic Falls. Can't imagine raising the kids anywhere else!" She exclaims, placing her hand on her husband's. Everyone seems somewhat charmed with Stefan, but Jeremy doesn't buy this nice guy act one bit. "So how did you and Elena meet?"

"We bumped into each other in town square. I wasn't really watching where I was going and knocked her journal out of her hand." Stefan starts to laugh as he remembers their first encounter. _Who would have thought we'd become friends after that?_ "Do you play any sports?" Jeremy asks, in hopes to change the subject. He knows that this is just Elena's friend- if Stefan were more than that, she would have told them all by now- but in Jeremy's eyes, Elena is still his baby sister. Jeremy didn't mind when she dated Matt because, honestly, he expected it. Matt always had such a big crush on Elena and she didn't even realize it till they got to high school. Now Stefan… He seemed so different, and Jeremy didn't know whether that would be good for Elena or bad.

"I played football at my old school, and I think I'm going to play for the Timberwolves this year which will be really exciting!"

Jeremy nods curtly, making Elena tense up. She gives her brother a glare before adding to the conversation. "Matt said Stefan could be the reason they win state." This catches both Jeremy and Mr. Gilbert's interest, making Stefan slightly embarrassed. "He didn't necessarily say that, Elena-"

She rolls her eyes. "Don't listen to him, he's being modest. Coach Ric said how if the boys wanted to win so badly they needed Stefan on the team, and I for one think it's a great idea. We could use a winning season for once." Ellie crosses her arms, finding her sister to be more irritating than usual. "Since when have you cared so much about sports?" Elena laughs in disbelief, telling her sister, "Ellie, I was a cheerleader for two years. I don't know about you, but cheering for a team that lost about every game wasn't exactly all that exciting." Before the sisters can prolong their bickering, Mrs. Gilbert stops them. "Girls, we were having a very nice dinner and I'd like to keep it that way." She then brings her attention back to Stefan. "I'm sorry, Stefan…" Before Mrs. Gilbert can apologize more, Stefan shakes his head. "Don't be. I can't tell you how many fights I've gotten into with my siblings."

"How many do you have?"

He takes a sip of his water before giving Elena's parents a light smile. "I have three. A brother and two sisters." Elena felt a tug in her chest as she imagined how hard it must be for him to not mention Dylan. Even though she may not get along with her siblings all the time, she would be inconsolable if one of them just disappeared from her life for good- especially this early. Her family means so much to her, and she's sure Stefan's does too. Ellie leans forward from across the table to ask Stefan, "Are you all close in age?" Elena knows exactly where her sister is going with this question and wished she'd shut up before she embarrassed the both of them. But Stefan doesn't seem too affected by it. "Sort of. My sister Caroline and I are both 17, my other sister Addison is 22, and my brother Damon is 20. Now that I think about it, you may have met him before. He's fixing up your car at the shop, Ellie." Mr. Gilbert points his finger in Stefan's direction as he mentions, "I did, actually! Real nice kid. I could tell he works hard on those cars. And his prices are fair and honest. Can't tell you how many guys try to screw people over."

There are a few seconds of silence as everyone continues to eat until Stefan checks his phone to see three missed calls from Caroline. "I'm sorry but I have to get going." Elena gives him a distressed look. "Is something wrong?"

"Caroline called me a couple times. I'm sure it's nothing, but I should probably head home anyway and check on her. I forgot our parents are working late again."

"Are either of them in the medical field by chance? I'm the town doctor!" Mr. Gilbert smiles proudly.

"Unfortunately no, my dad's a realtor and my mom's an interior decorator." Elena could imagine Mrs. Salvatore as a decorator with her own show. She definitely has a TV personality. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert for having me. The food was delicious." Stefan stands and puts his hand out to Mr. Gilbert and Elena's father smiles widely at Stefan's politeness. "I'm happy that you joined us." He stands and shakes Stefan's hand, sitting back down afterwards. Before Stefan can shake Mrs. Gilbert's hand she hugs him. "It was great to meet you, Stefan. Come by again sometime if you'd like." Mrs. Gilbert lets go of him and directs her attention towards Elena. "Honey, walk him to the door." Elena nods, following after him.

"I'm glad you came by. My parents loved you, if you couldn't tell..." Elena says shyly, blushing as she tries to avoid Stefan's gaze. "I'm glad I came by too." Stefan leans in for a hug and Elena gladly returns it. When they let go, they smile at each other.

"I'll see you soon, Stefan."

"I'll see you, Elena."

* * *

When Stefan reaches his car, he pulls out his phone to check on Caroline.

"Stefan, where are you?"

"I just left Elena's. Why? Is something wrong?"

"Can you, um… Can you come home please? I- I need someone to talk to." Caroline chokes on her own words as she cries over the phone.

He can feel his muscles tense up as he imagines his sister all alone while he had dinner at Elena's. He couldn't help but feel guilty. "Of course, Care. I'll be home in 10 minutes."

Stefan finally arrives to his house, heading straight to Caroline's room. She is sprawled on her bed, which is covered in used tissues. After hearing her door open, Caroline lifts herself up. Relief is shown on her face as she sighs. "Hi, Stefan..." He uses the tips of his fingers to throw the tissues off her bed. When a majority are gone, he sits next to her. "Caroline, what's wrong?" She starts to sniffle before she speaks. "It's the girls back home… The ones I used to hang out with." Stefan clenches his jaw as he remembers Caroline's old friend group. He could hardly stand them. But for some reason, no matter how badly they treated Caroline, she'd still try her best to have them like her. "Do you miss them?" Caroline gasps, almost offended that Stefan would even think such a thing. "No I don't miss them! Those girls are back stabbing, good for nothing-" She stops herself so she won't become more upset than she needs to be. "They're making up rumors about me again, Stefan. And this time I'm across the country, which means there's nothing I can do about it. Why do I let them get to me?"

Stefan places his hand on her's as he says, "I know it's hard, but you just have to try your best to ignore them. One of the good things about moving here was that you could start your new life without everything that happened at our old school. You can't forget to live that new life, Caroline. No one in Mystic Falls knows us."

"Elena seems to know _you_ pretty well." Caroline bites the inside of her cheek as she leans against her bed frame. Stefan wasn't sure if she was upset with all the time he was spending with Elena, but he also wasn't sure if now was the best time to bring it up. _Let's tackle one thing at a time, Stef._

" I mean _really_ knows us, Caroline…" Stefan runs his hand through his hair, ready to get back to what bothered Caroline in the first place. "How did you hear about the rumors?"

Caroline bites her lip, darting her eyes to the corner of her room. "Nikki texted me a few hours ago. That's how this whole thing started. I thought she was going to apologize, and she did, sort of… but she also said how Amber was saying such mean things about me to the whole school." She pulls out her phone to read the texts to Stefan. "Nikki sent me what Amber told my old lunch table." Caroline clears her throat, ready to begin. 'I can't believe any of you even liked Caroline. All she ever cared about was herself and her own problems. But I guess I would too if my life was as screwed up as her's."

She clears her throat again, trying to find her voice to finish the message. Out of everything Amber said, that last sentence hurt Caroline the most. She takes her hand and wipes some of the tears from her eyes so she can see her phone. "Did you hear about how she hooked up with the whole football team before she left? I don't know why any of them would even want to touch her."

Caroline pauses to add her own thought, "That part especially is not only untrue, but also very gross. _You_ were on the team!" She tosses her phone to the side, sick of rereading the messages over and over again. Stefan leans against her bed frame too, and Caroline places her head on his shoulder. "It may not seem like it, but they're doing this to you because they're jealous, Caroline. You're not just outgoing and fun to be around, you're kind, and caring, and so many other things that they'll never be... Like I said before, this is your chance to start a new life and be the person that you want to be, with no ridiculous rumors or secrets following your every move."

Caroline knows what Stefan said was meant to make her feel better, but it makes her cry more. She never understood how he was able to always say the right thing. But then she remembered that he was so wise and right about situations because he had been in so many awful ones, ones that made him have to grow up and ones that changed him into who he is now. "Thank you, Stefan. Sorry I made you leave Elena's. I just didn't know who to talk to about this." Stefan shakes his head as he tells her, "Caroline, there's no need to be sorry. I'm glad you called me."

"I feel bad though. I rely on you so much. Mom and dad are both at work, I don't want to bother Addison, Elena and Bonnie don't even know about what happened back home…"

"Why don't you tell them then?"

"I don't think we're really close yet. But hopefully we will be someday," Caroline says as she rests her head back on her pillow. "I'm gonna try to get some sleep, but thanks again for helping me. I feel a lot better now." Stefan smiles at her, happy to be by her side. "That's what I'm here for. Maybe you could try journaling it out. You used to love to write."

"Yeah, well… right now I don't really have anything exciting to write about."

"You will soon. Goodnight, Caroline."

Stefan gently closes her door, walking towards his own room afterwards. He takes a look at his bookshelf, trying to find a book that he hasn't read more than once. After some deep thought, he grabs his journal off his dresser, sits at his desk and begins to write.

 **October 3rd**

 **I told Caroline that having a new life here would be a good thing, that we could make the most of it... It's just that I'm not even sure how _I'm_ supposed to do that. I have no doubt in my mind that she'll get through all of this, that she'll get back on track to who she used to be, because that's who Caroline is. She's a fighter. She doesn't quit. Those are qualities in her that she can't see, but I sure wish she could. Maybe she'll believe my advice when I start taking it myself.**

 **My sleeping has gotten a little bit better. I don't dream about my brother much, but I also don't dream at all, which is something that I miss. The pills are helping. I try to cut back occasionally so I feel more in control. I can't slip up this time since I told Elena about them… about how they're helping me. It felt good to finally tell somebody. Part of me is happy that Elena knows, while the other part wishes I didn't tell her anything at all. I know that I'm better than I used to be, but I don't ever want her to see me at my worst. The last time someone did, they left. And this is what I realized after dinner with her family. She's got a really great life, and I don't think being more than friends would make it any better. Besides, I'm improving with my recovery, and I don't think I should jeopardize that by worrying about how she feels about me, or by ruining our friendship. Sometimes I wonder if she should be with Matt after all… If I should just give Rebekah a chance. I don't know what I'm supposed to do. It's times like these when I really miss my old life, the old me. And I start to miss Katherine. With her, I never felt unsure of myself- at least not until the end of our relationship.**

Stefan stops writing as soon as he hears his cellphone go off. He picks it up from the desk and sees Elena's name on the caller ID. Stefan answers the call, placing the phone against his ear as he flips through the pages of his journal.

"Elena, hey."

"Hey, Stefan… Is everything okay? I haven't stopped thinking about you and Caroline since you left."

Stefan sighs as he looks across the hall at Caroline's door. Silence. _She must be exhausted_. "Yeah, she was just upset about something from back home. But I talked with her and she's fine now."

Elena frowns as she wonders what could have gone wrong. The _move must have been really hard on Caroline._ From what Elena can tell, she had quite the social life back home, and probably missed it more than anything. "Is there any way I can help?"

"No don't worry about it. I have a feeling she'll open up to you about everything eventually. I'm gonna head to bed but, Elena… Thank you, for checking up on her. I really appreciate it."

"Of course. Goodnight, Stefan."

"Goodnight."

* * *

 **3 WEEKS LATER**

The more Stefan started practicing with the football team, the more he realized just how much he missed the sport. If you asked Stefan, he'd tell you that he was an okay player. But in reality, he was one of the best, and beyond humble about it. He tried to make sure he still had time to help Damon out with some repairs, but Damon decided that it may be best for Stefan to focus on school more than the shop. Caroline was starting to spend more time with Elena and Bonnie too, making her feel comfortable to finally open up to them both. That's why she invited the girls over after school. The room smelled like chocolate chip cookies since they were baking them in the oven. Elena and Bonnie sit on the couch across from Caroline, talking about their parents until Caroline interrupts them and says, "I know you guys have probably wondered how I ended up with the Salvatores…"

Sure, the thought had crossed Elena and Bonnie's minds, but it was never something either of them would ask about. Elena glances at Bonnie, and then at Caroline. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." Elena knew all too well just how difficult sharing experiences could be, especially after she started speaking with a therapist. Bonnie moves in closer as she says, "Yeah, Caroline. It's no big deal." But Caroline shakes her head no. "It's okay. I don't mind. You were my first friends here… and I think that you have a right to know." Caroline breathes in, trying to shake off her nerves. _They won't think any differently of me. They're not like the girls from home. They're actual friends_. "Before I was born, my parents were happy together. They were highschool sweethearts… 'soulmates'." Caroline air quotes the word just to show how untrue it is. "From what The Salvatores told me, my parents were going through some problems after my mom didn't think she could get pregnant. Eventually my dad accepted the idea, and turned out to be thankful for it. I guess he didn't really care about it after all." Caroline twiddles her thumbs, trying to block the thought of how her dad didn't want her. "Unfortunately for him, my mom did end up pregnant, with me. He was so upset with the idea, and my mom didn't understand why. She really thought he'd come around. He tried convincing her to have an abortion, or to give me up for adoption, but she said no. So he left. She raised me, all alone, and she was great at it." Caroline looks up at the girls and smiles as she remembers her mother. "Back then, I didn't even care that I hardly knew my father, because I didn't need him. All I needed was her. I thought she was invisible, you know? Like a super mom. She took me to all my volleyball games, my piano lessons… she was my rock. And then she got sick." Her voice starts to break, causing Elena to race over toward Caroline's side. "My mom was diagnosed with breast cancer when I was around five or six. She fought so hard, until she just… couldn't. My dad never visited the hospital, not even when she was at her worst. He was never there for either of us."

Bonnie shifts from side to side, trying to word her question carefully. "So… you had no one to take you in?" Caroline shakes her head no. "Neither of my parents had any siblings, both sets of grandparents were dead. I had no one, until The Salvatores came along. They knew my parents before I was even born, so after everything that happened they took me in as one of their own. If they didn't adopt me, I don't know where I'd be." Bonnie sits on the other side of Caroline, not exactly sure what to say. She isn't really sure how Caroline is acting so calmly either. If Bonnie were in her situation... She didn't even want to imagine it. "Have you ever tried finding your dad?" Caroline laughs sadly as tells them, "Last year I practically went on a manhunt. I looked for a few months, asking people that my parents knew. Right when I was about to give up, I found him. He was living another life, married to one of his clients."

 _ **Caroline walks towards the supposed home of her father, trembling as her hand reaches the doorbell. As she sees a shadow behind the glass, she can feel herself turn red. But the shadow who opens the door isn't her father at all, it's a different man, one she's never seen before. "Can I help you?" Caroline can barely speak. Why did she keep trying if she was never going to get the answers she so desperately needed. "Um, no. I'm sorry. I thought I knew someone who lived here but I must have the wrong house." Caroline is about to leave when she hears a voice in the distance.**_

 _ **"Honey, who's at the-"**_

 _ **They both stare at each other in awe, unable to look away.**_

 _ **"Caroline."**_

 _ **"Dad?"**_

 _ **Her father starts to laugh nervously, hoping to make the situation less uncomfortable by explaining, "Adam, this is my daughter. Caroline, this is Adam. My husband."**_

 _ **Caroline steps back, unable to process what's happening.**_

 _ **"Please, Caroline, if you'd just come in-"**_

 _ **"I should go," she mumbles, almost hitting the doorway as she moves. Caroline's father touches her arm, causing her to turn in his direction. As much as she wants to look away, she can't. It's as if he's pleading for her to stay with just a look. Adam tries his best to give them some space, saying, "Bill, I'm going to finish making dinner. How about you guys spend some time together… get to know each other better." He practically sprints to the kitchen, making Caroline roll her eyes. Her father sits on the couch, encouraging her to sit next to him, but she declines. "I'm fine standing, thanks." Caroline crosses her arms before looking at the photos hanging on the wall. They're all of Bill and Adam, traveling around the world, happy as can be. "So how long have you guys been together?" Bill clears his throat, barely even trying to hide his discomfort. "Almost 10 years." Caroline nods her head slowly as she faces him, walking back and forth from one side of the living room to the other. She then sees a photo she didn't notice before, her father on his wedding day- his wedding with Adam. Caroline feels her hand cramping from it being held tightly in a fist. Bill notices her anger and tries to address it. "Caroline-"**_

 _ **She whips around immediately, staring directly in the eyes as she points her index finger at him."You know now I understand why you didn't want to have kids with my mom, why your relationship didn't work. But you know what I can't understand? Why you never came to the hospital when she was sick, why you never came to her funeral… why you never took me in when you knew I had no one else." Caroline bites her lip in the hopes to make it stop quivering. Bill stands up, unsure of whether to comfort Caroline or not, but she makes it clear that he needs to stay back. "I don't need your pity, I just want an answer. Why?"**_

 _ **Her father sits back down, his chin dipping to his chest. He places his hands over his face, slouching on the edge of the couch. After taking a moment to think, Bill finally answers. "I had already hurt Liz so much by leaving her, I thought that it'd be best if I didn't try coming back into her life. And when she got sick… I didn't think I could handle seeing her in that condition. How could I help her get any better by being a wreck?" Caroline laughs in complete disbelief. "Just BEING there would have helped! You knew her better than anyone and you deserted her." Bill stands in anger as he tells her, "Caroline, it wasn't as easy as you think. By the time I came to see her, it was too late. I got to the hospital and her room was cleared." All the color in Caroline's face disappears. He opens his mouth but barely any words come out. Instead, he feels as if she has been teleported to the very moment he realized Liz was truly gone. Bill has to look at Caroline to bring him back to reality. "Instantly, I felt like my heart was about to stop. It- it made me realize just how badly I treated her. I contemplated going to the funeral, but decided that I had to, so I drank and drank until I had enough courage to show up. Before I could even get my foot in the church, The Salvatores made me leave. I was upset with them for years, until I realized how I wasn't in the right state of mind at the time… that it was the right choice on their part."**_

 _ **Bills sighs, somewhat relieved that he is finally getting all of this off his chest. "As for you, Caroline, I wanted to do right by you and your mother, so I asked Giuseppe and Lillian to take care of you- to keep you and take you in as one of their own. And as much as I wish I could have raised you myself, I know that I made the best choice for you. The Salvatores are a wonderful family, they always have been. That's what you deserved, Caroline, not a dad like me." Before Caroline can reply, Adam pops his head out of the kitchen to say, "Dinner is ready. Caroline… will you be joining us?"**_

 _ **She smiles politely while shaking her head, trying to hide her true feelings from Adam. Part of her wanted to stay, while the other part wanted to sprint to her car and cry for awhile. But she didn't want to have her first moment with her father while his husband was sitting in the background. "I actually think I'm going to head back home now." Adam nods, telling her, "I understand. It was nice to meet you." He gives her a sincere smile, leaving Caroline alone with her father once again. "Thank you, for your honesty… Dad." Bill steps closer towards Caroline, slightly catching her off guard. "Thank you for taking the time to listen." Caroline opens the front door and heads to her car. Before she gets in, Bill yells out, "When you're ready, you're welcome here any time." Caroline nods, opening her door and starting the engine. She looks at her reflection in the rearview mirror, unsure of what to think. "It's a start. That's all that matters."**_

"I wasn't ready to forgive him, not after everything he did. But I thought we could make things work somehow. I didn't want to make the same mistakes he made by keeping him out of my life. I know that he wouldn't have even tried to find me because he was scared of how I'd react, how I felt about what happened..."

Elena catches herself wiping a few tears from her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. "I'm so sorry, Caroline."

Caroline smiles and hugs Elena. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Have you kept in touch with him? Since the first time you met, I mean." Bonnie didn't want to be rude, she just felt an urge to find out. Luckily for her Caroline didn't seem to mind answering too much. "We tried making it work but it hasn't been easy, especially now that we moved to Virginia. But it's okay with me. I met him and I got my answers. That's all I really wanted to do, anyway."

"Caroline, I don't wanna sound nosy… but was this why you were so upset that night Stefan had dinner with my family? He was so worried about you." Caroline shakes her head before replying, "I'm sorry about that, Elena. I even told him how bad. I didn't mean to ruin anything." Elena laughs as she assures Caroline, "Don't even worry about it. I just want to make sure that you're okay." The smile Caroline was wearing starts to disappear. "I am now." Caroline pauses for a moment, wondering what to say. _You've said enough for today, Care_. She decides to change the subject, turning to Elena as she asks, "What did your family think of Stefan?" Elena feels herself start to blush, making Bonnie and Caroline laugh. "They loved him." Caroline smiles as she says, "Thought so. What's not to love?"

A ding is heard in the background, letting the girls know their cookies are ready. Caroline smiles as she asks, "Who's hungry?"

* * *

 **I would just like to apologize for the delay of this chapter! I've been so busy with classes and finals as well as writer's block :( but I want to say thank you to those who still follow this story or have favorited it, it means so much to me. Also from now on when I delay posting another chapter again I will make that chapter longer than the other ones. Thanks again for your patience and I hope you enjoyed it!**


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